The Watcher
by MajorStupoid
Summary: (abandoned) AU Korra, from the beginning/Kuvira had always been called 'wise beyond her years' but she couldn't disagree more. She was just stumbling along like everyone else. She just had the displeasure of hitting rock bottom already. Now, with a duty to the wayward Avatar Korra, she might have to admit that she's been stuck down there the whole time.
1. A New Assignment

**NOTE:**

**So after some deliberation, I've reached the conclusion that I was too hasty in posting this fic. I started writing it in tandem with writing my own book, but with a full-time job, that kind of balance isn't feasible for me. So, until I finish writing that, I'm putting this project on hold. If I tried to keep going with it, I'd either be keeping you all waiting for weeks and weeks, or I'd be getting really depressed in knowing that I wasn't working on my own book, evidenced by the fact that my systems got really out of whack when I didn't write my book for over a month.**

**Hopefully you'll understand, and hopefully I'll be back before you know. Ciao!**

* * *

"Was that a polar bear dog?"

Kuvira, at her partner's question, looked up from the newspaper she'd been reading to keep herself occupied. As she did, a dispatch came on the radio. "Attention, any and all officers near Broad Street, converge on the corner of Broadway and thirty-first, we have a dangerous bender on the loose. Repeat, Broadway and thirty-first."

"That's our cue. You ready to-" the man who sat in the Satomobile beside Kuvira turned, only to see her already leaping out of the window and zipping up onto a rooftop with her metal cables.

She needed to some action.

It turns out that it _was_ a polar bear dog that they saw, as well as a woman clad in traditional Water tribe clothes, which Kuvira thought was about as hot and stuffy in this summer weather as her uniform.

Still, it had its benefits.

As the beast leapt to get to another stretch of roof, Kuvira shot her cables at it. Beforehand she made sure the fall wouldn't be too severe, and thus when the dog's limbs were bound, all it got was a rough landing. Its rider tumbled forward as well, nearly rolling off the edge before Kuvira rose up a wall to stop her.

"Ma'am, cease and desist!" Kuvira poised herself to strike, silently hoping that she wouldn't cease or desist.

"Wait, but I haven't done anything wrong!" Her voice was desperate, and her form was defensive; it didn't look like a waterbending stance, and she wasn't carrying a satchel that Kuvira could see. "Just hear me out!"

"That's not my job."

Hearing that, and Kuvira's cold indifference to her desperation, the woman shot her fist out. To Kuvira's shock, a blast of fire emerged and arced toward the officer. Needless to say, Kuvira wasn't expecting that, and was caught well off guard. She raised a wall of earth to block the strike, when otherwise she might've rolled toward her opponent.

The delay was enough to allow the woman to free her animal friend, and they started running, the woman riding backwards.

Kuvira shot several rocks at her, but she crushed them, as if earthbending herself. After a quick turn to see that she was approaching the edge, she launched her and the dog up with a raised slab of the roof, confirming Kuvira's suspicions.

The officer scoffed, not believing what she was seeing, even as a blimp appeared and other officers seized the woman with their cables.

She had tried to arrest the Avatar.

xxxXXXxxx

"_You can't be serious!_" Kuvira groaned in her head as the police chief explained her assignment.

"You'll be watching the girl for a few weeks, to make sure she doesn't get into trouble," Beifong's tone was as unapologetic as usual.

"All due respect, ma'am, I've been on the beat since I joined the force."

"And you wanted to transfer to a new assignment when one came up," Beifong crossed her arms and raised her eyebrow, while Kuvira had to bite her lip to keep from making some disrespectful sound. "Contrary to popular belief, I read my officers' requests thoroughly and consider them just as much."

"That may be, but-"

"But this isn't what you had in mind? Tough. Now, get out."

Kuvira could've probably argued her way out of this. Beifong acted as cold as Kivira felt, but despite everything, she couldn't, or perhaps wasn't willing to, put in the same distance as the younger woman. She was kind at heart, and _did_ care about her subordinates. But she was also the police chief, and had to allocate resources (read: officers) and make compromises.

Her softness showed briefly when she put her hand on Kuvira's shoulder. "Your time will come. Whether that's in the force or otherwise, I'll make sure it happens. I know you're terrible at it, but for now you've got to follow orders."

Kuvira's heart twinged with a bittersweet feeling. Maybe it had something to do with Beifong's sibling?

Whatever it was, Kuvira was far from willing to show it. Once Beifong stepped away, she gave her salute and left to go meet her new assignment.

xxxXXXxxx

The Avatar, Korra, seemed about as pleased with Kuvira's new assignment as she was. So here the two women were, sizing each other up with a unfairly brutal lens.

"_Muscular, holds herself arrogantly, half-pouting and half holier-than-though look, entitled,"_ Kuvira thought.

"_Stuck up, self-important, arrogant, death glare," _was Korra's evaluation with her watcher. Both were basically spot-on in their analyses.

Eventually, Kuvira broke her gaze and looked back to the city, while Korra's stare persisted. Finally, the Avatar threw up her hands. "Spirits, but this is awful! I don't need a babysitter!"

Kivira scoffed at that, but didn't respond otherwise. She didn't want to actually _agree_ with this girl, after all.

The ride to Air Temple couldn't end fast enough. Once they arrived, Kuvira was stuck by how...dead it looked. None of the trees were in bloom, and the color choice was abysmally dull. Still, even the unwanted watcher was given a warm welcome, and thankfully they didn't have to share a room.

Kuvira didn't have many belongings; she never had much to herself to begin with, and she didn't even bring all of that with her when she left Zaofu. She took the bare essentials only.

Thus, it didn't take her long to unpack and return to Korra. She took noticeably longer than the officer, and when she emerged from her room and saw her 'babysitter', she immediately frowned.

"Master Tenzin informed you that you had this first day off," Kuvira tried to say it without sounding like she was also saying, "so that means you should just stay in there and shut up and make my job easier."

She must've been successful, or otherwise Korra ignored it if Kuvira let some of that sentiment drip through her wall of professionalism. "I'm taking a look around the island."

"Your airbending training begins tomorrow. You should rest."

"I've been looking at snow and ice my whole life; I'm _going_ to see the trees."

Kuvira blinked as Korra walked passed. She wasn't sure if she just blanked out when reading the assignment file, but she wasn't aware of Korra's position. This girl was the Avatar, but as for what that entailed, Kuvira had little in the way of knowledge. She may not have known about her past, but she knew how to read people.

Korra's insistence, the tension in her shoulders as she said it, and the hint of red in her cheeks indicated equal parts determination and embarrassment. Truthfully, it _was _silly to imagine a woman nearing twenty that hasn't seen a tree before, even those in the Water Tribe.

Thus, she allowed her to pass, being sure to follow close behind. "You don't need to follow me everywhere."

"And you don't need to tell me how to do my job. I'm to watch you, closely and at all times."

Korra must've taken that the wrong way. "Tch, pervert."

"W-what?!" Kuvira stopped briefly, while Korra kept walking. As fast as she could, she cleared her throat and tried to get the images of Korra (and her body) out of her head, before following the Avatar.

The two wandered aimlessly, not speaking a word for a long time. Korra didn't look to be particularly enjoying her self-guided tour of Air Temple Island. She kept her frown, and sometimes looked back at the city. It was a mannerism that Kuvira would admit that they shared.

Suddenly, she whirled around, a grin on her face. "Ooh, I know! We should head downtown; I saw a fancy-looking diner when you guys were chasing me and-"

"You're to stay on the island; chief's orders."

"But…" she trailed off, noting that Kuvira didn't even look at her as she struck her down. For a moment, her shoulders drooped. But they perked up again just as quickly; she wasn't willing to show weakness towards this thing that was following her. Kuvira then noticed the strut in the Avatar's step as she walked away, and couldn't help but get annoyed, just because she knew that this woman was berating her incessantly in her head. Though, to be fair, Kuvira was doing the same.

The two eventually made it all the way around, back to the small building complex that was the centerpiece to the island's layout. It held a tower where the monks stayed, as well as where the kitchen and subsequent storage was housed. Through a narrow, open corridor, one could get to where Tenzin, his family, Korra, and Kuvira were staying, each with their own private room. Off of the corridor was an opening to a garden/courtyard, which then led out and to another, smaller courtyard which overlooked the Republic City Bay. There were three paths out from the building complex; first to the docks, second to the woods (that term is used lightly), and third where Korra was going now.

It was a large gazebo, where Tenzin and his children were sitting erect in a proper meditation position; legs crossed, fists touching in the center of the body, eyes closed, posture straight. Kuvira had tried to get into the whole 'meditation' thing within the first year or so of coming to Republic City, but could either never get it quite down, or otherwise it didn't have the intended effect on her. She usually was better relaxed by a good workout.

"Hey Tenzin!" the Avatar flashed a grin and a cheery attitude. "Whatcha up to?"

The older man opened one eye, a clear look of annoyance on his face. "Meditating," he said it in a gruff tone. "Please be quiet."

"Oh, sorry," Korra sidled over to stand almost perpendicular to the airbenders. She was looking at them, each in turn. Tenzin's youngest, Meelo, was slouched over, asleep. The other two, the girls Jinora and Ikki, held a posture similar to their father, who had regained his after Korra's interruption. They all looked so peaceful, so much so that, maybe, Kuvira might join them, and give it a shot to meditate. Maybe Tenzin, this spiritual master, could help her understand the practice a bit more? "So...are you guys just sleeping?"

The man's eye opened again, but he didn't say anything, even as Korra got this smirk on her face.

"Don't you lie to me; that's _exactly_ what it is, isn't it?"

"I-" Tenzin was about to berate her, but Kuvira stepped in.

"Apologies, Master Tenzin; you must understand that her head is still buzzing from finally being in Republic City," she tried to sound as sincere as possible. "Surely a loose tongue can be forgivable?"

The airbending master eyed her, suspicious as to why she would stand up for Korra, but nodded. "Please leave," was all he said, and the women obliged, though Korra was reluctant, making Kuvira drag her by the arm. The two made it only to the courtyard before Korra yanked her arm away.

"What was that? I just asked a question!"

"An inconsiderate question. Don't you know where you're unwelcome somewhere?"

"Not welcome?" Korra scoffed. "I'm the Avatar."

"No, you're not. You're an arrogant girl who only knows how to cause trouble. It's pathetic. If you really were _the_ Avatar, it'd be beneath you, but from wrecking half a city street, to evading arrest for your actions, to guilt-tripping a respected man into letting you stay here, to not even understanding the situation and thinking you're being welcomed with open arms, I'd say it's right up your alley."

Korra recoiled at the rant. "I know I've made some mistakes, but-"

"But what?" Kuvira had already had it up to here with this girl, and the first day wasn't even over yet!

"Why does everyone seem to hate me?"

And that was the operative question, wasn't it? It actually caught Kuvira off-guard, substantially so. It wasn't that she was surprised that Korra had the cognizance to see that fact, or that utterly defeated and confused look on her face, genuinely not understanding and hating herself for it. Rather, it was because Kuvira had asked herself that same thing, only in her childhood.

Korra seemed to sense her watcher's hesitation. "I'm...going to go back to my room. To rest," she slowly turned around and shuffled off, leaving Kuvira stunned, locked in place.

Eventually, Kuvira followed suit, and returned to her provided lodging, quickly shedding her uniform and plopping down onto the bed they gave her. She buried her face into the pillow, as a wave of equal parts nostalgia and bitterness welled up in her chest, threatening to take her over.

"_Why does everyone hate me?_"

Kuvira had asked that a lot in her childhood, too often. Knowing what she knew now, she might've slapped that little girl for being so weak-willed. Everyone hated her because she wanted to be hated, because she didn't know how to 'want' anything other than hatred and abuse.

All it took was three words to steer that mindset off.

"My baby girl."

The way Kuvira said them, they sounded harsh and a bit possessive, but the way they were said _to_ her was magical. They were warm, soft; like the gentle caress of a mother to her child, which is exactly what they were intended to be.

Ever since then, for fourteen years, Kuvira had been working to improve herself. If Korra was still asking that question, then she'd be likely in her thirties or forties before she became at all useful to society. Thus, Kuvira made her decision. She stood, quickly changed into more casual clothes (a simple tank-top and pair of soft pants) and marched over to Korra's room. She didn't even ask or knock, she just opened the door, and announced, "I'm done."

Korra stood from her desk, surprised. "What? Done with what?"

"Done with guessing," Kuvira pointed at the Avatar. "You're going to tell me everything."

Korra blinked, not moving a muscle. "You...want to know about me?"

"Yes, I do."

The younger girl looked to be having difficulty processing that, but eventually nodded and offered her a seat on the bed.

The officer sat, and gestured somewhat rudely for Korra to do the same. The Avatar did so, and while looking reticent at best, began to relay her story.

"I'm from the Southern Water Tribe. When I was found out to be the Avatar, the White Lotus took me in. They put me in a compound where they could keep me safe, and where I could train without any distractions, and that's where I've stayed, for thirteen years. Day in a day out, I was training and practicing, and it's been fun, sure. But I couldn't leave."

"Hence why you were so eager to see the trees."

Korra nodded. "Tenzin was supposed to come to train me in airbending, but he can't. I didn't understand why, but now that I'm here, atfer I, uh...ran away..." Korra scratched the back of her head in embarrassment. Kuvira couldn't help but smile at that, given that ti was exactly what she did. "A-anyway, I see all of the crime and injustice and freaky movements, and unrest...I get it. He has to stay; he's important. But I can't wait any longer. If I'm going to be Avatar, I need the world to see me; they all need to know that they have someone watching over them."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow. "'Watching over them'? You're barely above a child, as you are now," Korra's posture sunk at that. "But, I suppose that's not entirely your fault. You're sheltered, you're naive. It's not the worst kind of person to be, but it's not Avatar-material."

Korra frowned; that _wasn't_ the answer that she wanted. "Do you have any idea what it's like, to be stuck in one place for thirteen years, never seeing the world?"

"That's not your problem," Kuvira crossed her arms. "Your problem is that you're the Avatar."

"That's not something I can easily change, highness."

The officer frowned at the nickname, likely taken from how Kuvira tried to hold herself. "Of course you can't, but you're taking it too literally. You're self-righteous. I'll let you in on a secret; nobody cares about the Avatar. They might treat you like a celebrity when they find out, but if you asked someone, they'd probably act like they forgot the Avatar even existed."

"But...I'm the Avatar; I can bend all of the elements, I'm the bridge between two worlds, I'm-"

"A legend," Kuvira crossed her arms. "And normal people, in their normal lives, and normal routines, and normal problems don't deal in legends."

"..."

"...do you know who I am?" It was a purposefully unfair question, and Korra only gave her an incredulous look. "What's my name?"

"You're...highness?" she gave an embarrassed smile. The officer sighed and held out her hand.

"Kuvira. I'm your watcher, and I've been in the same boat as you, believe it or not."

"Really? How?"

"_An there's that insensitivity showing again_," Kuvira thought. "Different circumstances, but the same principle," was all she said on it. "When you're unwanted by everybody around you, it gets really easy to blame it on those people. So, how about, instead of whining about how everyone hates you, you pick yourself up and stumble forward until you can match pace with the rest of us? Yeah?"

"You're saying...it's my fault?"

"Fault has nothing to do with it. You need to change; how you got that way is irrelevant, as far as I'm concerned."

"But…" she sighed. "Okay, how do I do it?"

Kuvira raised another eyebrow. "_Really? That's all it took to convince her?"_ she thought. "I don't know."

"What? How do you not know?" Korra's determination quickly turned to annoyance. "You're lecturing me about change and you can't tell me how to do it?"

"Of course I can't. I don't know you so..." Kuvira sighed, seeing Korra's disappointment. She had to remind herself that this girl has had everyone tell her what to do for over a decade. "If you were Tenzin, and you got very irritated at someone, what would you want that person to do?"

"...Apologize?"

"Apologies are just words; they're not good enough."

"Then I don't know."

Kuvira gave the Avatar a hard stare for a moment, trying to figure out whether that was a joke or not. Finally, she smiled, face softening a bit. "Well, at least you're honest. Alright, I do have _one_ idea."

xxxXXXxxx

"Master Tenzin!" Kuvira called after the man as he was crossing through to the kitchen. "A word, please."

"A, Kuvira, was it? Do you…?" he trailed off, seeing that she hadn't come alone. "And Korra. A...welcome surprise as well," it sounded like he was forcing out those words.

The Avatar had been fighting Kuvira the whole way, and had only just gotten her into open air. With a final shove, Korra was standing before Tenzin, who looked like he was trying hard to maintain his poise. "I believe this one has something to ask you."

With a sigh, Tenzin nodded. "...Very well. Was is it, Korra?"

"Well, I…" the girl purposefully straightened her back and put her shoulders back. "I want to start now."

Tenzin blinked. "...Now?"

"Now. I saw what you were doing earlier and I want to try it."

"Uh…"

"She means meditating."

"Ah, I see, well, hm…" he stroked his beard, contemplating. "I'll admit, this _is_ a surprise; I was told that you hate this kind of thing."

"Well, I figure, you know, that I should try getting used to it? Those stuffy White Lotus guys weren't very good teachers, but now I don't have that problem!" Korra flashed a grin. Tenzin looked at her for a few seconds, thinking.

Finally, he nodded. "Very well, if you're so eager, it isn't my place to stop you. Come this way; we can begin immediately," he said it cordially,but his eyes shone with something akin to pride, or maybe excitement.

Korra's eyes lit up as well, and she nodded eagerly. "Right! Aw yeah! This is gonna be awesome!" she started following, but stopped when she noticed that Kuvira wasn't coming. "Are you...not coming with us?"

Kuvira waved off the concern. "Oh, no. That practice isn't my forte. And besides; Master Tenzin will be there. I think he's more than enough guardianship for you."

With a nod, Korra accepted the answer, and the two strode back to the gazebo.

Kuvira herself took the alone time to freshen up, or at least, that's what she would've told someone if they asked. In reality, she was trying to force those unwanted thoughts of her own past out of her mind. Soon, she decided to draw up a bath, and hope the steam and herbs was help alleviate the building headache she was getting from the memories.

But it didn't work.

Even as she soaked, even as she endlessly toyed with a metal slab she kept on her person, even as she actively tried to think about other things, those three words always came back; "My baby girl."

They had been the verbal caress of the cheek. Now, Kuvira could only imagine it was done with a razor blade.

After an hour, she couldn't take it anymore. She gripped the slab and threw it to the ground. "Get out of my life!"

The yell was even louder than the obnoxious thud that came with the metal hitting the bamboo floor. It was only an instant before she caught herself in losing control. Heat rose to her cheeks as she thought that someone could've heard her, and she ducked down into the water, completely submerging her head so she wouldn't be able to hear someone knocking.

Her iron heart had almost formed a crack.

**Author's Note:**

**In advance, I'm sorry for the long note at the end; it's mostly for me.**

**Hey all! So you probably don't know me, but I did a big-ass Percy Jackson-a-thon that ended like three months ago. I said I wasn't doing anything else on this site until my own book was done, but...what can I say? I got an itch to write about something I love. Granted, the last time this happened, I was stuck in that universe for like nineteen months, so...hopefully that doesn't happen again.**

**What I did there was that I wrote an entire book (I adapted the whole series book by book) and uploaded it all daily once it was finished, before going on hiatus until the next book was finished. I will not be doing that this time.**

**Rather, I'm going to upload as I go, so I can continue work on my own book while I write it. That means two things; first, it means I can take your suggestions in in real-time. It also means that (and I reserve the right to do this) I might have to go back and tweak things if I come up with an idea. It won't be anything major, and hopefully I won't even have to do it, but I might. If I do, I'll make a note of the change in the next Author's Note.**

**With that said, a short explanation of what this is going to be; AU Korra where I'm really only keeping the basic plot structure or the series, and I'm changing basically everything else. This means that a lot of core characters are just not going to appear. Off the bat, I'm axing Asami, Pabu, Bataar Jr., Kai, and (unfortunately) Varrick. As well, the roles of the airbender children will be greatly reduced. Rather, the focus will be mostly on Kuvira (duh) and Team Avatar, who I will also be tweaking to make them more consistently interesting.**

**Also, most of season 2 will be scrapped because it sucks major ass buckets.**

**Again, sorry for the long Author's Note; I know it misleads the word count, but don't worry. This fic is going to eventually be monstrous anyway.**

**See you next time!**


	2. Not Much Progress

With one last flurry of boulders thrown, Korra collapsed. She dropped down to her hands and knees, sweating dripping off of her face and onto the stone tiles below. Kuvira, likewise, wiped her hands of dirt, and wiped the sweat and dust from her forehead as well, though remained on her feet as she did so. "Decent volley, but you can do better."

Five days in to Korra's stay at Air Temple Island. During that time, save the first day, Kuvira has managed to keep her entertained enough to where both of their longings for the city were manageable. Most days were spent practicing earthbending. Kuvira did her best not to show off, not wanting to show all of her Pai Sho pieces all at once, so to speak. Rather, she told Korra to give her her best shot, and that's where they ended up.

Korra was barely able to stand, and Kuvira was slightly winded. Of course, attacking is much more strenuous than defending, so not _all_ of it was due to their difference in skill.

"'Decent'?" Korra was almost blubbering, she was so out of breath. "You...you...barely broke a sweat…!"

"I assumed you were taking it easy on me," Kuvira smirked, offering the Avatar a hand to get back onto her feet, which she took.

"Yeah, because I was."

"Right, sure," the officer shrugged as the Avatar flexed, flashing a cocky grin, as if she really believed that lie.

"And anyway, I'll take working myself to death here than meditating any day."

"I thought you said that was going well."

Korra jumped, realizing she'd slipped up. "Well...it is, it's just…" she sighed. "It's just not sinking in."

"Korra…"

"I know, it's not fair to think that; it hasn't even been a week, but...I don't know. Something about it doesn't feel right. Have you ever tried it?"

Kuvira closed her eyes for a moment. "_Okay, I guess it's time to be the grown-up again,"_ she thought. "I have, and I didn't get it either. But this is important for you. Have you tried bringing this up to Master Tenzin?"

"Yeah, but he says that it just takes time."

"Then I'm sure you can trust him on that."

"But…"

"Korra, just imagine a four-year-old Tenzin struggling to sit still when his father was teaching him, and that's you. Now look at how effortlessly he does it. It'll come."

"...Promise?"

"I promise, but…" she trailed off, not wanting to sully that little speech.

"What?"

"It's nothing, just...I _do_ think it's a bit harsh to force you to do it for five hours every day."

"I know!" the Avatar's shoulder drooped, and she got a sullen look on her face. "Well, it's that time...to meditate...yay…"

"Don't sound too enthused now; Tenzin might get suspicious," Kuvira offered a smile, but it didn't seem to do much to lighten her mood. She just watched her skulk off toward the gazebo, where Tenzin and the children were likely waiting. Thinking on it, Kuvira couldn't wait to hear the children complaining about the girl's sweaty odor over dinner. She was sure that their mother would approve of that kind of talk.

With that funny thought in mind, Kuvira took the time to get back to the city herself.

It was probably a bit unfair, given that Korra was trapped on the island, but the fact of the matter was that Beifong had asked her to give weekly reports, and the first week was almost up. And anyway, it wasn't like she came here to socialize and have fun. In fact, she didn't very much enjoy it at all, given how she could almost feel the mens' stares at the office (she was wearing casual clothes, which showed a lot more skin than the uniform, for obvious reasons). She'd grown used to such things and wasn't particularly bothered by them, given that she could use her feminine wiles to get basically anything she wanted from horny guys in the city. The problem was that a lot of them, particular the older men (read: cradle robbers), were seldom interested in a professional conversation. Thankfully, when one went too far, Beifong was quick to stamp it out. Kuvira would bet that have the reason she was so harsh on that type of conduct was because of jealousy, though she wouldn't ever question that in front of the woman. Though, Kuvira doubted that the Chief would settle for beta-males like them anyway.

In any case, once she'd written her report (which was a three-paragraph-long paper that could be condensed into 'she's been a good girl'), she quickly went to her apartment to grab some food. Kuvira certainly appreciated that the monks were willing to provide free sustenance, but spirits, she needed _some_ protein if she wanted to keep in shape.

By the time she returned to the island, it was nearing sunset, meaning that Korra's meditation would be over soon. She decided to bathe quickly and then spend whatever extra time she had in her room to herself, and it was in these moments that she was glad she formed an understanding with Korra on that first day.

If she hadn't, she'd have to go 'collect' her and watch her every waking minute that Tenzin wasn't, which would've made this assignment a. More tiring, and b. Much more annoying.

While she had time, Kuvira decided to indulge in a bit of a guilty pleasure. She reluctantly brought a small radio with her when she initially came to the island, having been back and forth on whether to bring it for several hours beforehand. Kuvira took it out from her bag, plugged it in, and turned it onto a pleasant station.

Within a few minutes, the wave of music washed over her, momentarily absolving her of any stress she might have been feeling. Soon, her feet her moving, sliding gracefully, arms waving in precise, purposeful motions. Her body twirled and spun, eyes closed to really take in the music. That last one wouldn't have flown in a competition, where other dancers would have been involved, but here, alone, she was free to live in the moment.

Kuvira lost track of time a lot when she did this, often going well into the night if she began right after a rough day. It was just so intoxicating, even more so than sake.

It was in these moments that she wasn't as afraid to think about her past. When she was dancing like this, with her mind in a permanent high, she only thought about the good times. She thought about the crush she had on Bataar Jr. (which didn't go anywhere, thankfully), about the small rivalry she had with Wei and Wing, all of those hard and yet so rewarding dance practices and recitals. When her minded drifted there, that was always her cue to stop, because not long after that, she'd start thinking of...her.

Though, this time, she didn't even get that far. Rather, she opened her eyes for a split second to confirm her position in the room, only see a figure standing in the doorway. "Gah!" Kuvira jumped back, at first expecting an enemy, but saw that it was only Korra.

The girl's eyes were bright, in awe even, as she entered. "Wow! Vee, that was amazing! You're incredible!"

"W-what, I don't- I-I mean, y-you-" the watcher was at a complete loss for words, as she tried desperately to bring her thoughts back to rationality.

Korra approached, and put her hands on the older woman's shoulders, a lips curled into a smile. "You've _got_ to show me how to move like that!"

And it was that demand that finally brought Kuvira back to reality. She pushed Korra's hands off. "No," her answer was resounding, and brought with it a deafening silence. Korra didn't even try to convince her otherwise. Her smile slowly faded, though her mood didn't appear to turn particularly sour, thankfully.

"O-oh, well...okay then. Um…" she stepped away, and craned her neck as Kuvira wiped some sweat from her face.

"Ugh, just bathed too…" Kuvira found herself mumbling as she rummaged through her pack for a rag to wipe herself off before dinner.

"Um...would it be rude to ask about why you won't teach me how to do that?"

Kuvira kept rummaging, trying to keep herself occupied as she came up with the words. She really wanted to say 'yes, now shut up about it,' given how personal it was, but refrained. Spirits, but she wanted to snap, but she had to be better than that. "A little, but...it's fine."

"Okay...so, why won't you teach me?"

"I never said I would answer, Korra," Kuvira dropped her bag and stood, hands on her hips. She turned to see the Avatar's expression having drooped a little, dissatisfied more than saddened. At that, Kuvira softened a bit. "It's just very personal, and I'm...not good with those kinds of things...anyway, we need to head to the dining room. Tenzin and the others might be expecting us."

Korra nodded, and followed the woman out, being sure to clean up on the way.

Once there, things proceeded in general silence. Eventually, as the main course came in, Kuvira couldn't take it anymore. "Master Tenzin, if I may, can I ask how things have been going in the city?"

The man looked less-than-thrilled to have been asked the question, but he nonetheless answered, but only relayed the parts that concerned Kuvira's role as a police officer. "Gang activity is up, violent non-bender protests are down. The city council is working on ways to combat this threat, before those Equalists start rallying the criminal underworld to their side."

"Equalists?" Korra swallowed her food. "You mean those guys that are whining about benders?"

"It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes," Tenzin nodded.

"I don't know what their problem is; without bending, this world would _absolutely_ suck."

"It would also be fairer, and that's quite enticing to the dispossessed," Kuvira popped a piece of tofu in her mouth. "But I have to agree with you; being equally blessed with nothing is far inferior to being unequally blessed with an actual gift."

"A strong point," Tenzin turned to the officer. "You'd make a good public speaker."

Kuvira shrugged. "It's crossed my mind, but I'm not interested."

"And I wasn't offering."

"Good, just so we're clear on that."

Kuvira's eyes went to her food, as did Tenzin's, and Korra was looking back and forth between them. She leaned over to Meelo. "Um...is there something up with those two?"

"I think they're trying to see who's the better 'grown-up'."

"Then I'm afraid they'd both lose," Pema, Tenzin's wife, offered a kindly smile as everyone finished up. "Now that dinner's over, kids, go get ready for bed."

"Yes, ma'am…" the three shuffled off, with Meelo bounding ahead. Kuvira could only imagine how difficult it was for him to get to sleep, given how much energy he had.

"Master Tenzin," Kuvira stood, and made sure to pick up all of the dishes as she asked her question, "I heard that Korra was having difficulty with the meditation. Have you thought about having her try a different exercise?"

"That won't be necessary. Korra needs time for her spirit to fall into place. It's the same process for everybody, and as the Avatar, I'm sure she'll be able to manage it."

"It's fine, Vee."

"Still, Master Tenzin, surely some variety could help in kickstarting her spirituality. Isn't there some physical exercise that she could use to help align her spirit?"

Kuvira truly hoped that it sounded like she knew what she was talking about. Tenzin stroked his beard, appearing to consider the offer. "Hm…"

Korra joined in. "Tenzin, it's not sinking yet in like you said it would. I think I should try something else, just to get my feet on the ground. What do you think?"

"...Very well. Come to the courtyard tomorrow; I'll have something set up."

Korra's eyes lit up. "Oh, thank you, Tenzin!" she ran up and gave him a big bear hug, to which he rolled his eyes but smiled, and _that_ was a rare occurrence.

Kuvira handed the dishes to a monk, and pried Korra off of the airbender. "Well, we should head to bed too. 'Ol' rough and ready' here should get some rest for tomorrow's new exercise."

"Agreed," Tenzin nodded, and helped a pregnant Pema out and to their quarters.

Now alone, Korra was grinning at her watcher. "What?"

"Nothing, just thinking how you're a lot nicer than you seem."

"I learned from the chief," Kuvira crossed her arms, but couldn't stop her lips from curling upward, seeing the joy in Korra's eyes. Then, she grabbed the Avatar's hand. "And you're about to think I'm even nicer still. Come on."

"What? Aren't we going to bed?"

"Not yet. I have a treat, for both of us."

She led the two of them into the woods, at a spot that overlooked Aang Memorial Island.

"Care to give me a light?" Kuvira raised a couple of stools for them, and once Korra formed a flame in her palm, they sat. With one foot, Kuvira felt around (using Seismic Sense) for where she left her secret stash, and then produced it, showing it to Korra.

"This is...turtle duck? Vee, you know meat isn't allowed on the island."

"You know, the chief has a running joke about me; I have a nasty habit of breaking a lot of rules and not following a lot of orders while doing my work. And would you look at that; here we are," the officer smirked. She let that gestate with Korra a bit as she went to break some nearby branches for firewood. "I stashed it when I came back from giving my report to the chief, in case you were wondering."

"I was, and now you've told me you sneak off the island when I'm not looking."

Once the fire was started, the women wasted no time in starting to cook their contraband. You know, to erase the evidence.

"Oh, that hits the spot…" the Avatar seemed to be enjoying herself as she munched on the meat, despite a lack of seasoning. Kuvira, similarly, was on the verge of euphoria in tasting it, having been on a vegetarian diet for the past week; it was a lifestyle that she could _never_ see herself committing to.

"So, you asked about why I don't want to teach you dancing?"

"I, well...yeah, but I thought you said-"

"I'm well-aware of what I said, but...I've reorganized my thoughts a bit since then."

"Okay…"

"...This may surprise you, but I'm not from Republic City. Rather, there's a small city in the Earth Kingdom called Zaofu, and that's where I was born. In there, I was part of a dance troupe."

"So, you performed?"

"Often."

"Did you win?"

"I was part of it, so yes, we did."

"..." Korra eyed Kuvira, but the older woman didn't bat an eye at the cocky statement.

"In any case, I left the Zaofu for Republic City...spirits, it must've been five years ago now? It certainly doesn't feel like its been that long."

"But...why not teach me, then? Did you leave on bad terms or something?"

"People don't relocate at age fourteen for no good reason, Korra. I...had a falling-out with my…" she hesitated to called that woman a 'mother' or even a 'caretaker'. Both terms seemed too kind for her. "I had a falling-out with the leader of Zaofu, over my role in it. I was also a part of the guard there, basically the fuzz, and we disagreed as to whether or not I deserved a promotion."

Most of that story was true, save for the last 'promotion' bit. She _did_ have a falling out, and that _did_ cause her to leave for Republic City at fourteen. It just wasn't over something as trivial as her position.

"And to answer your question, the leader of my dance troupe was that same leader of Zaofu, so you can imagine that it might bring up bad memories."

"Oh, right…" Korra seemed to accept the answer, even as she likely sensed that Kuvira was still holding out something. Thankfully, though, she dropped it. "Well, you told me about you, so it's only fair to tell you about me."

"What's there to tell?"

Korra scoffed. "I have _plenty_ of stories!" Kuvira raised an eyebrow at that. "O-okay, I have one story."

The older woman chuckled. "Alright, then let's hear it. I'm eager to learn of your storytelling prowess."

"W-well, um...see, I was stuck in that compound, like I told you, right? So, okay, one day like ten or twelve years ago, this big, and I mean _big_, polar bear dog waltzes in like she owns the place. Being that compound's resident Avatar, I had no choice but to confront it and take it head-on."

"I assume you were learning Earthbending at the time?"

"...How did you know?"

"Because that, taking things head-on, is a beginner's earthbending lesson," Kuvira took another chunk from her duck. "But please, go on. It's riveting."

Korra didn't seem to pick up on her sarcasm as she continued. "So okay, we get into this big fight, and this thing just isn't budging at all, no matter what I do. But eventually, get this, she rolls over; turns out my attacks had been scratching a really bad itch she had. So, hey, I thought I'd take a chance. And get this; she's really super nice and playful!"

"Must be an odd polar bear dog; normally they eat people."

"Oh, no; Naga is the sweetest girl. Have you met her?"

Kuvira grimaced, recalling the big lick she received when she came back to the island earlier that day. "Once or twice…"

"Oh right, in that fight. Don't worry, I'll introduce you two soon! I'm sure you'll be friends!"

"Somehow, I doubt that," Kuvira stood. "Well, we've had our fun, and our meat. It really would be beneficial for you to get some sleep."

"Right," Korra stood as well, and the two slowly made their way back to the building complex.

**Author's Note:**

**me: 'I'm not going to upload daily because I want to focus on my actual book'**

**also me (in a dark hood): 'Let's stay up for an hour later than usual and binge-write chapter 2'**

**Thank you guys so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed, despite the somewhat abrupt ending. For real this time, I'm not uploading daily. I just happened to have this one written.**

**Anyway, see you next time!**


	3. What Can Be Learned

Kuvira and Korra were quiet as they approached the building complex on Air Temple Island, just so they didn't wake anyone up. Soon, they realized their folly when a radio was heard, completely ruining their attempt. It was faint at first, but they soon located the source; a few monks breaking the rules.

"Ladies and gentlemen! I'm coming to you _live_ from Republic City's Pro-bending Arena, where tonight the best in the world continue their quest for a spot in the upcoming championship tournament. Grab your snacks and grab your kids because this next match is gonna be a _doozy_!"

"There's a match tonight?" Korra's eyes lit up, startling the monks into running away, likely afraid they'd snitch on them. Given that Kuvira was a cop, they had a reason to be afraid.

"You like pro-bending?"

"Uh, hello? Pro-bending is, like, the greatest thing to come out of Republic City! The crowds, the fierce competition; it's right up my alley!" she gestured toward the radio. "What do you say we listen for a while?"

"And if Tenzin hears?"

"Then you hide and I'll take the fall. Come on, please?"

And there she was, giving Kuvira those puppy-dog eyes. With a sigh, Kuvira produced two stools, and turned the volume down so only they could hear when they were quiet. Together, they listened.

"This Mako's got moxy! He advances, fires two quick shots. Yomo is hammered back to zone three! Clock is winding down, can Yomo hold on? He's teetering on the edge of the ring now. The Fire Ferrets line up to strike, and...boom, in a blistering knockout, the Fire Ferrets win the match! I have to say, folks; I've never seen such a promising batch of new blood in ages! Give it up for the Fire Ferrets, who will be joining us for yet another round tonight in just a few moments!"

Korra leapt to her feet. "Oh, Spirits! We _have_ to go."

"Right, that's a definite 'no'. You're to stay on the island."

"Oh, come on; you're still on about that? I thought we were friends!"

"We're able to tolerate each other; friends is...a bit much," Kuvira tried to ignore the sullen look that washed over Korra. "And besides, I still have my orders."

"But you said you don't follow orders," Kuvira's eye twitched; she probably shouldn't have said that. Now Korra had an easy target for getting her to do things.

"Well, I'm going to follow this one," she crossed her arms.

"But...come on, just one match. One match, and then I'll never ask again. Please?"

The officer closed her eyes, not wanting to see that pleading look again, lest she break too easily. "I…" finally, she threw up her hands. "Fine! One match."

"Yes!" Korra jumped up into the air excitedly. "Oh, thank you!"

"Right, right, be quiet about it. And I'm coming with you; I don't want you running off with some moronic city boy and ruining my job."

The two opted not to take a boat, as there were monks going to and from the docks even this late at night. Rather, Korra aided Kuvira as they swam across the bay. If the two women weren't so fit, and one of them wasn't a waterbender, it might've been more difficult. As it was, they made it to the docks near the Arena with little difficulty. Then, as it would've been both suspicious and quite difficult to get onto the docks proper, they went over to the side of the Arena and Korra propelled them up and into an open window.

The two women landed gracefully enough, and Korra immediately shook herself off as if she was actually a dog. Kuvira shot her an incredulous look at the act, but didn't comment, even as Korra used her waterbending to dry her watcher's clothes soon after. They soon started making their way through the hallway, trying to find the entrance so Kuvira could pay for cheap tickets. Instead of finding it, however, they found a gym.

It wasn't anything special; it had weight balls and nets of different materials so benders could practice with accuracy from far away. Still, it seemed to impress Korra, as instead of moving on, she waltzed right in. She went to one of the weight balls and hefted it into her arms, grinning. "Wanna try it out?"

"I thought you want to see a match," Kuvira put a hand on her hip. "And those aren't ours; we can't use them without permission."

Korra rolled her eyes and put it down. "Ever the goody-two-shoes, aren't you?"

"I _am_ a police officer."

"Noted," Korra went over to one of the nets. Next to it was a bowl of water; the waterbenders practice area. The Avatar looked like she was going to start trying it out, but someone stopped her.

"Hey! What are you two doing in here?" they turned to see an older man, a sweat rag around his neck. "Damn it, I thought I had locked up this time!"

Korra was trying to come up with an excuse. "Oh, sorry; we were looking for the-"

"The entrance; we went to the restroom and got lost on our way back. Could you maybe-"

"Oh, don't give me that bull; you two were back here sneaking around. Well, I'm not falling for it. I'm taking you two to security!"

"No, wait!"

"There you two are!" another man, more a boy, entered the gym. He was wearing a padded uniform, clearly a pro-bender. Judging from its reddish color scheme, Kuvira would bet he was a part of those 'Fire Ferrets' they'd heard on the radio. "Jeez, I've been looking for you two for forever!"

"Bolin, you...brought guests?" the old man looked annoyed.

"That's right Toza, they're with me."

Korra wasted no time in grabbing Kuvira's arm and dragging her over to this 'Bolin's' side. "Yeah, we're with him."

"_Do we have to be?_" Kuvira thought, figuring the images the boy was conjuring up when seeing them; all boys his age did that with women, and they usually lacked the self-control to hide it effectively, making for a lot of awkwardness.

The old man, Toza, sighed. "Fine, just keep them out of here, and keep an eye on them next time!"

"Will do," Bolin turned around. "Ladies, you can follow me."

Korra was all too eager to do so, while Kuvira lagged behind, rolling her eyes.

The pro-bender led them to something of a locker room, though that term was used loosely. Rather, it was an alcove in the sidewall of the actual Arena which happened to house a few lockers for the current players that were using it. Korra immediately went to the railing, in awe of all of the lights and colors, no doubt.

"What do you think? Best seats in the house, eh?" Bolin made to stand beside the Avatar, his voice putting on a faux-suave tone. "Name's Bolin, by the way."

"Korra."

And of course, he didn't bother to ask who Kuvira was.

That was when two more people came in, looking a few years older than Bolin, closer to Kuvira's age. Only one of them was at all physically attractive; the other's hair was just...greasy, and gross. One of them, the better-looking of the two, got Bolin's attention, and the two exchanged a few words in private.

Kuvira took the time to get to Korra. "Be careful," the officer tried to be quiet. "The fat one is trying to woo you, and I've no idea what the others are thinking."

"O-oh, really?" Korra hadn't even realized. "Well, okay. I'll watch out, I guess, but...they seem nice...I think."

Kuvira sighed, but accepted the answer.

"Korra," Bolin got their attention, as the better-boy was brought before her. "I want you to meet my brother, Mako."

"Wait, as in the Mako who's being called one of the best probenders of this generation?" the girl's eyes lit up. "Spirits, but I'm _such_ a fan!"

The man didn't even give her a look, just put his helmet on and walked onto the extended walkway to the ring. "Bo, we've got to get going. You too, Hasuk."

"I got it," the other man seemed less than thrilled to be there, judging from his sluggish movements. Korra, as they left, lowered her eyes into a scowl.

"Jeez, what a dick!"

"He might just be focusing," Kuvira went over to sit on the bench. "I'd imagine he'll be more personable after the match, supposing, of course, that they win."

"Yeah," Korra smiled at that, and turned her attention back to the ring. Kuvira wanted to say that she didn't care about the match at all, but that would be a lie. "Have you ever tried pro-bending?"

Kuvira rested her chin in her hand. "Once, when I first came to Republic City; you might notice I dabbled in a bit of everything when I moved."

"Really? What team?"

"Don't remember."

"Well, that's lame," Korra then started to completely ignore her watcher, and probably for the better. Kuvira wanted to watch this man who was being held in such high regard, mostly because she was called something similar during her brief run.

The match itself, aside from the obnoxious commentary that Kuvira never had a taste for, was about as exciting as she remembered. She would chalk up a lot of that to the crowd, who was rabidly into the sport; they provided the hype that Kuvira might've lacked otherwise.

The Fire Ferrets ended up losing the first round, though Mako managed to stay in the ring, thus enabling them to try again in the second round. This one was a bit more interesting, as while Bolin and Hasuk were thrown out early, Mako managed to stay in. And not just stay in, but keep relatively unharmed. The announcer described this as a 'cool under fire' style, because the entertainment business needed a catchy name for it. Kuvira would rather just say that he keeps a level-head.

So, since the opposing team didn't manage their stamina with any skill, Mako was easily able to launch a counteroffensive, quickly knocking out the fire and waterbenders and then only had to deal with the earthbender. Kuvira was impressed further, as even after that level of aggression, Mako kept it up, using the dust formed when he broke apart the thrown earth discs as a cover for his final attack, which knocked the earthbender out of the ring.

"Alright!" Korra jumped into the air happily, with a beaming smile on her face as the three returned to the alcove. "You guys were amazing!"

"Yeah, I know," Bolin was back to faux-suave. "Pretty great, don't you think?" he flexed. Korra nodded, and then fixed her attention onto Mako, who was busy berating Hasuk.

"You nearly cost us the match."

"Lay off, man; we're moving on."

"Listen, if you're not going to bring your A-game next time, don't bother showing. You got that?"

"Spirits, but I don't have to listen to this crap," Hasuk stormed out without even changing.

Korra didn't let the exchange deter her. "Mako, you were great! I never would've…" she trailed off, seeing him just walk past her.

"Oh, you're still here," his tone was completely noncommittal.

"Oh, you're still a prick? You won the match, so why don't you get the stick out of your ass?"

"I might if Bolin wouldn't bring his crazy fangirls where they don't belong."

"Crazy?" Korra scoffed, and Kuvira noticed that she didn't deny the 'fangirl' part of that. "Whatever, at least Bolin is nice."

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Yep, nicest pro-bender in the city; I can tell you that much."

"Hey, I saw how you guys were fighting out there. You have _got_ to show me how to move like that!"

"Awesome! Sure, sure, but, uh...I don't know how well my earthbending will translate to your waterbending…"

"Not to mention, you won't be coming back," Kuvira stood. "And it's about time we got going."

"What? But-"

Bolin finally looked at the officer. "Wait, back where?"

"That's not your concern, fat boy."

"Fat?" Bolin pouted. "I'm a growing boy!"

"In any case, Korra, we should head back."

"But…" for a moment, Korra looked like she was about to argue. Then she looked a bit dejected, but eventually she became neutral. "You're right."

"Whoa, now, hold on. I can totally teach you!" Bolin stood between them. "In fact, right now. Come on, it's still early."

Both of them shot her a grin, and Kuvira knew it'd be much more of a pain to refuse, so she nodded. "...You have an hour."

"Yes!"

Soon, the four of them were in the gym once again. They discovered that the boys, who were brothers, slept in the loft directly above them, calling it cheap; Kuvira could understand that.

"So, uh...you're a waterbender, right?"

Korra put a hand on her hip. "Sort of."

"Right…anyway, the key to any match is the stay light on your feet. You never want to be a sitting turtle duck out there, so watch and learn. I'm sure you're smart; you can translate this stuff to water," he said, starting to hop on the balls of his feet for a second. "So, I'm loose, right? I can wait for the perfect opportunity, and then," he stopped hopping and tightened his stance, sending two earth discs flying with a quick one-two punch motion. "Bam, hit it right there."

"Okay, okay...I think I got it," Korra started hopping in much the same way, and then dug her feet in and struck with the same combo, launching two more earth discs.

"Oh!" Bolin blinked. "I was...under the assumption that you were a...waterbend- you know what? Forget I said anything; didn't mean to assume."

"No, you're right," the Avatar crossed her arms haughtily. "I'm a waterbender, and an earthbender, and a firebender."

"...I don't follow."

"You're the Avatar," Mako rolled his eyes. "Never thought she'd be a fangirl."

Korra slouched a bit. "Do you have to ruin everything?"

"I just don't set my expectations too high."

Bolin didn't seem put off at all from the news, and went right back to the lesson. "Well, that's awesome! Your technique, I mean. Want to try it again? Really focus on the perfect moment."

"You got it!" Korra repeated the motion, this time staying on the ground for longer than her first attempt. "Damn, too stiff."

"Eh, it'll come; takes time," Bolin shrugged. "And what about your friend there? Is she…?"

"'Friend' is a bit much," Korra smirked at her watcher. "But she's an earthbender too."

"Do you want to try-"

"Not interested," Kuvira put her chin in her hand again.

"Okay, then...you want to give it another go, Korra? We can get this down in a few minutes and then move onto the more fun stuff."

"O-ho, sounds awesome!"

And that was how it went for the next forty-five minutes. Once they were up, without a fuss, Korra returned with Kuvira to Air Temple Island. Once there, they made their way through the window of Korra's room. "Phew...that was fun!" Korra grinned, fists opening and closing as she practiced the motions that Bolin taught her.

"Mm…"

"Those pro-benders were a lot nicer than I thought they'd be, too!"

"It seemed like you didn't get along well with that 'Mako' character."

"Well yeah, but…" Korra giggled. "This might sounds weird, but...I kinda liked it."

"You liked being ignored and annoyed?"

"Uh...yes?"

Kuvira raised an eyebrow, not believing her. It was more likely that she was just happy to see people other than those on the island. The officer would bet that if she was given free reign of the city, she'd be able to find better people. Though, maybe not...who was she to judge?

"Plus, he was kinda...cute. What do you think?" Kuvira shrugged at the question. "You didn't think he was hot?"

"Let's just say I bat for the other team," Kuvira made her way to the door.

"...I don't get it."

"And you don't have to. Have a good night, Korra," Kuvira left the girl's room and entered her own, falling asleep almost immediately after the very long night.

xxxXXXxxx

"Rargh!" Korra threw her hands up. "I can't do it! _Why_ can't I do it?"

This was about the fifty-fourth time that she participated in a tantrum over the past almost-week. The day after they went to the Pro-Bending Arena, Tenzin had set up these nifty little wind...things. They looked like a long and narrow panel of wall, but they were attached to a base in such a way that they easily spun when exposed to a gust of wind, such as from an airbender. The goal was the move from one side of the base to the other without touching any of the panels.

After a few hours of the first day, as Korra began to get more frustrated and make worse and worse mistakes to the point where she was just running into the panels, Kuvira gave up watching. It wasn't like she wanted Korra to fail, but seeing that idiot ram her head into brick wall after proverbial brick wall...it just reminded her too much of her younger self.

Now, after six days of that, Korra has finally given up. Tenzin, it seemed, was at the end of his rope as well. "Korra, I don't care how much of this is miserable; you _have_ to be able to do this."

"Why? This would be _useless_ in a real fight! My opponent isn't going to wait for me to twirl around like a damn ballerina!"

"It's not _about_ what would be useful in a fight; these are airbending fundamentals."

"Well, maybe I'm just not cut out to be an airbender."

Tenzin reared back. "That is _blasphemous_! It is the Avatar's responsibility to learn and master all _four_ elements."

"Who says I have to? Just because every other Avatar did doesn't mean I just have to go along with it! You know what I think I should be learning? Modern styles of bending, with modern applications, so I can take on modern threats!"

"We are in a time of _peace_, Korra."

"Peace? Is that what you call it? You know, you can try to hide it from me all you want, but I've read the papers, I've listened to the radio; it's hell out there and you know it!"

"Which is precisely why you need to be as prepared as you can be by _learning airbending_!"

"Well, I can't!"

"Avatar Aang mastered this at age twelve! You _can_ do it!" That line didn't appear to have the effect that Tenzin intended; rather, it finally revealed his true feelings. Korra stepped back, stunned. "No, Korra, I didn't-" he tried to apologize, but she was already running away, tears going down her face. Kuvira stood from her stone stool.

"I'll go after her."

"No," Tenzin's face was contorted in a frown. "Leave her be. She'll be back."

"..." Kuvira decided not to argue. Rather, she went back to her room, taking it as a dismissal. Not exactly sure what to do, she turned on the radio again, and discovered a waltz marathon, and she began listening quietly to it for a while.

When times like this occur, when Kuvira really had nothing to do, a lot of random thoughts crossed her mind, mostly menial, and none of them stayed in her head for very long. However, this time she thought of only one thing: Korra.

She'd thought of a way to perhaps improve the Avatar's physical ability during that exercise, if not her understanding of how it actually worked. However, she had continually opted against it. Now, though, with those two on such bad terms, Kuvira feared that it would only get worse unless she didn't something to reverse the flow.

Finally, she stood. It was now sunset, and the family would be eating dinner by now. She made her way over to Korra's room, where she was leaning against Naga and feeling sorry for herself. "Get up," Kuvira strode over and yanked her to her feet.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"Reversing the flow. Come on."

She took them over to the kitchen, where Tenzin and his family were dining. While she figured it was _incredibly_ rude to just burst in as she did, Kuvira felt like she shouldn't wait any longer if Korra was going to make any progress by tomorrow.

Kora was trying to keep herself hidden. "Vee, I really don't-"

"Master Tenzin, I need your assistance."

He sighed. "Now? I don't-"

"Yes, now. It will only be for a moment," Kuvira gave her best smile. The airbending master looked to his wife, who shrugged, not thinking much of the exchange. Then, he stood and followed Kuvira out, along with Korra.

"Officer, if you aim to force a reconciliation, then I'm afraid you'll be vastly overstepping your mandate," he didn't even try to hide the frustration in his voice.

"Then it's a good thing I'm not," Kuvira gestured to the panels. "Can you get those going?"

Tenzin raised an eyebrow, not following what Kuvira wanted to do, but nonetheless did it. Soon, they were spinning like mad.

"Thank you, you can go now," Kuvira focused her attention on the panels, not acknowledging the dirty look Tenzin was giving her.

"I don't get it, Vee. You know I can't do these."

"You're right, you can't. But I think I can."

Without another word, Kuvira launched herself into the panels, spinning and twirling. She was so naturally light on her feet from her dancing that, after some close calls as she got used to the motions, Kuvira was weaving in and out and between the panels effortlessly. Within only a few seconds, she stepped out of the contraption, on the opposite side.

Satisfied with herself, Kuvira smiled and put a hand on her hip. Korra joined her, not looking like it helped. "...Is that supposed to make me feel better? That you'd make a better airbender than me?"

"I would, wouldn't I?" Kuvira quickly ran through in her head what it would be like. "But I just wanted to make sure I would have some grounds to help you."

"Help?"

"Korra. I think it's time you learn how to dance."

The Avatar blinked, and opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again, smiling. She didn't need to say anything. Within only a few minutes, both were back in Kuvira's room, with the waltz marathon on to help with a beat.

"Bolin said that you need to stay light on your feet, yes? This is the same principle," Korra nodded, eager to learn as ever. "We're going to go slow, _very_ slow, understand?" another nod. "Okay, copy my stance, wrist against mine."

Kuvira fell into a simple form, one hand tucked by her midsection, the other in front of her, level with her eyes, with the fingers extended and the palm facing up on both hands. Korra soon copied her, with the back of her outstretched wrist touching Kuvira's. It was a similar pose to what Jinora took when she had demonstrated the panel exercise, so Kuvira thought it would be the most pertinent to learn for Korra.

"Okay, one step at a time, counter clockwise. I'm leading, so watch my feet, and copy them," Korra looked down, head and all, at both of their feet. Slowly, Kuvira took a step in the appropriate direction, and Korra followed. Within a few seconds, they were rotating as if on an axis, simultaneously. "Now for a fun part. Pivot on your leading foot, and switch arms. On three; one, two, three."

Kuvira did the motion with little effort, while Korra overshot it and swatted the watcher's hand away accidentally. "Shoot!"

"Stay calm; one mistake isn't too bad," Kuvira gestured for her to put up her hand again. "Try again. Focus on the hips. One, two, three," they did it again, but she undershot it. "Go in the middle. One, two, three," again, and this time, Korra got it very close. She pressed a bit hard into Kuvira's wrist, but that was what the meeting was for, so Kuvira could help correct small mistakes. At the very least, it must've felt right to Korra.

"I...I did it…" she seemed almost in awe. Kuvira had to remind herself that the girl had been failing nonstop for a week; a small victory was better than nothing, and is amplified in the face of constant defeat.

"Yes, you did. Now, keep it up."

The two continued doing those motions, and with each pass, Korra got more fluent. It was almost amazing how quickly she improved, from footwork to posture, to keeping eyeline and trusting her partner i.e. Kuvira, in actually leading the dance.

Eventually, they stopped. Rather, Kuvira stopped while Korra looked disappointed that they did. "We're done? That's it?"

"For now," Kuvira sat down, noticing the time. "We should get some rest. You can try to work this into to those panels tomorrow, yes?"

"But…" Korra looked out the window longingly. "I don't...want to leave yet."

"Well, I'm tired, so it seems we're at an impasse."

"...The Fire Ferrets have another match tonight, you know."

Kuvira rolled her eyes. "Oh...you want to go see the bad boy again."

"No, I don't! I just...come on, it was _so_ fun last time."

"For you."

"It might have been for you if you were a bit friendlier."

"It's not my job to be friendly. The only reason I'm like that for you is because it makes my job easier."

"Uh-huh, sure," Korra smirked, easily seeing through the lie. "Well, I'm going to go watch them, whether you come with me or not."

Kuvira glared at the younger girl. "..."

"What are you going to do? Arrest me?"

"Depends, are you a metalbender?"

"No, but I'm sure I could still get out of whatever cuffs you put me in."

"Oh, I'd put in something a lot bigger than 'cuffs'," she stood. "You're a real pain, you know."

"So long as you still like me, I don't mind that."

Kuvira's eye twitched in annoyance. "...Fine, we'll go."

With that concession, the two were once again on their way to the arena. This time, when they went through the window, they had a much easier time finding where they were going. Kuvira thought they'd be going to the entrance, but instead, Korra led them straight to the locker room.

There, they saw both Mako and Bolin, but Hasuk was nowhere to be seen. "Hey guys," Korra tried to be cheery. "What's up? You look like you've already lost. We didn't miss the match, did we?"

"We may as well have lost," Bolin form grew smaller.

"Hasuk's a no-good no-show!" Mr. Cool-under-fire crossed his arms and scrunched his form. "And without a three-man team, we can kiss our championship chances goodbye."

"O-oh, well...why don't I play with you guys?" Korra put her hands on her hips. Mako's eyes widened, and if remembering that she was the Avatar.

"You...you'd do that, for us? I mean...you could get...hurt, or something."

"Trust me," she flexed her arm. "I was trained by the best."

"But...isn't it cheating to have the Avatar on our team?"

"Not if I only use waterbending," Korra was already going to the locker to dig out a spare uniform. She stopped as she reached it, though, and turned to Kuvira. "It's alright, isn't it?"

The officer shrugged. "I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to keep my eye on you from here. Go, have fun," A smile formed on her face, and she nodded. Kuvira then turned to Mako. "Run the rules by her, so she doesn't embarrass herself, and try and go easy on her."

"O-of course," the man looked to still be wrapping his head around the fact that they were still in the competition. "Korra, you listening?"

"Yep," she said as she put the helmet on and adjusted the straps so it fit her head. Kuvira had to go and pull her ponytail out of the back, because she was busy putting on the leg guards.

"So its three-on-three, with three zones for each side, going from one to three from the inside out. You can only use a given element from a zone under your team's control. No headshots except during a tiebreaker. The goal is to send the opposing team off of the back, not off the sides; that's a foul. Got it?"

"More or less."

"Take the first round to acclimate yourself; Bolin and I will try and stay in and come back for round two, yeah?" Mako and his brother put their hands in a pile.

"Got it," Korra put her hand on top. "I won't let you down."

With that, the three proceeded into the ring to meet the other team. The first round went better than Kuvira expected. Granted, they still lost the round, but only by position, and none of the Fire Ferrets were knocked out. Mako and Bolin did what Mako said they would, and got some good hits in on top of that. Korra, while obviously out of her depth at first, was still able to quickly adjust. It was in this moment that Kuvira realized something, especially as she spun and used the dance pose from earlier to avoid at least two attacks, though got hit by a third (the other team was going after the newbie).

Kuvira was surprised even more in the second round. Between them, each team was able to convene in the locker alcove for two minutes, if they wanted. Kuvira noted that they didn't in the last match, when she and Korra first came. Now, though, they took it.

"Okay, good try," Mako said, though sounded reluctant. "We might be able to use them targeting you to our advantage."

"Actually, I had an idea on that," Korra looked to Bolin. "Can you cover me?"

"You got a plan?" Korra shrugged and chuckled nervously; she didn't have one.

"I do," Mako nodded. "Korra, watch me. Bolin, you keep the heat off of us, focus on defense. Korra and I can tag team them. Can you do it?"

Bolin grinned. "Bro, who do you think I am?"

With that, they went back to the ring, set their plan into motion, and it worked. Bolin was better defensively that he was offensively. Kuvira noticed that he had a keen eye, and was crazy accurate, and could use that better in defense by aiming right where the opposing team's attacks would be. And while he couldn't catch everything, he got enough for Korra and Mako to lay down some serious firepower, easily blasting the opposing team back two zones. Soon, they managed to knock two of them off the back. But this was the point where Bolin should've scrapped the plan and finished the job.

Instead, he stuck to it, and Korra and Mako were starting to run out of gas, struggling to make headway against this full-strength opponent.

"Well, isn't this an interesting sight?"

Kivira whirled around. "Master Tenzin, I thought."

He pointed at her, tall figure standing imposingly in the doorway. "You will remain silent. You've blatantly disobeyed your orders; Lin will have some choice words for you, if not a demotion." At that, Kuvira bit her lip, holding her tongue. Soon, the bell sounded which signified that the round had ended. Korra didn't notice, or at least pretended not to notice, Tenzin standing with his arms crossed. "Korra!" His voice was projected with his airbending. She flinched at his voice, and quickly asked for a timeout, which was granted. The Avatar and the bending brothers went back, with Korra's head hung low. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

"..."

"I asked one thing from you, Korra. I asked you to stay on the island and focus on your airbending training, but you couldn't even handle that."

Kuvira stepped forward. "Master Tenzin, it was my-"

"One more word out of you and you'll regret it."

Kuvira blinked. "_A threat? From an airbender? Spirits, he must be past his limit."_

"Come on, Korra. We're going back to the island."

"What? No!"

"Korra…" Mako couldn't fully understand the situation, but he could gather enough to feel sorry for her. And in the presence of an angry Tenzin, his form was like that of a frightened lemur. "If you have to go, I mean…"

"But...the match!" Korra gestured out to the ring."

"There's always next year," Bolin didn't seem to have confidence even in his own statement.

"Korra, let's go," Tenzin turned with a whip of his robe, and walked out in a huff. Korra remained where she was, and held her ground.

"No."

"What?" Tenzin didn't believe what he'd heard.

"I'm staying, and you can't stop me!"

"Korra, don't-" Kuvira wanted to stop her, before she said something that she regretted, but she just kept going.

"Why are you so hellbent on this? You just met these people."

"I've spent my whole life in a damn cage and now that I'm finally free I can't just let you put me in another cage! Do you have any idea what it's like to be stuck in one place for years, and years, and years, being called special and important and needed and nothing else? You really want to know _why_ I'm staying? It's because these three are the first people in my _life_ that don't treat me like a commodity. They're the first people not to treat me like a legend! And even if they turn out to be some of the worst people in the world, they've been the first people to treat me like I'm me! Look at _me_, Tenzin!"

During the rant, Korra's face went red with anger, and with that, angry tears fell down her face. When she finished, and noticed them, she was quick to wipe them away.

"K-Korra, I-" Mako didn't have the words, and Bolin was speechless. Truth be told, so was Kuvira. Korra ignored all of the awed stares she was getting. She grabbed Mako's wrist and dragged him with her.

"Come on. We have a match to win," her voice was deadly serious, and no one questioned her, not even Tenzin. Especially not Tenzin.

Kuvira watched them go off, Korra in particular. It was odd...she looked taller.

"Come with me," Tenzin's voice was eerily calm. "We will speak to Lin about your reassignment."

"..." Kuvira didn't say a word, just followed behind, through the hallway, up the stairs, and toward the grand entrance. She couldn't help but linger on Korra's words, 'these _three_', which included her. Was she really doing anything that special?

"_Of course you are. You're making sure she grows up without as much suffering as you. That's special," _some entitled part of her couldn't help but think. They made it all the way to the steps that led to the entrance of the arena. Then Tenzin stopped.

"Do I have any idea…? That arrogant…" he sighed. "I wonder if she realizes what her existence means for me, and for the world."

"..."

"I loved my father. In my opinion, he was the greatest Avatar to have ever lived, and living up to his legacy as the last remaining airbender is...daunting. Everyday, I wake up and there's a part of me that worries that I'm just...not good enough. And then I must see her, a living reminder that my father is forever lost, that he can no long guide me, as he used to do so well. And now, when I'm supposed to be the one giving guidance...she ignores me."

"_Which is why you're so testy with her,"_ Kuvira put two and two together.

Tenzin started walking again, believing to have said his piece. Kuvira thought she was going to regret what she was about to do. She also thought she'd regret it more if she stayed silent. With a heel to the ground, she spun the spot her was on so he turned the opposite direction, back toward the arena. Kuvira expected him to be furious, but he just looked confused. The officer gestured back to the arena.

"Your airbending student asked you for something. Are you just going to ignore her?" Kuvira tried to sound confident. "I don't know about you, but I think it'd be interesting to see what can be learned in there."

"What…?" Tenzin regained himself. "I have nothing to learn from that barbarism."

"It's not about what if _you_ can learn. It's about what she can," she gestured inside again, and she was sure that she was going to be fired.

To her surprise, though, Tenzin returned to the arena, albeit reluctantly. The two made their way to the stands, where the match was going very poorly. Korra had been knocked back to zone three, while Mako and Bolin were pinned to each other by the opposing waterbender in zone two

The crowd was silent, with the show being almost too brutal to watch. Kuvira leaned against the railing, getting as close as she could to the ring. "Korra!" she turned, and the women's eyes met for the briefest of moments. A silent understanding came over them, and it seemed like the message got across. In a split second, her attention was back on the match, where she saw a fire jet and an earth discs hurdling toward her.

In one fluid motion, Korra's stance had transitioned to the one that Kuvira taught her, and she was twirling and stepping right around the opponents' attacks like they were nothing. The opposing team tried again, but again, they missed. By now, the waterbender was joining in, but even with that, they couldn't hit her. she spun and twirled and weaved in and out of the line of fire, effortlessly. On and on they attacked her, but they just hit the air around her. Bonus, they were using a _lot_ more stamina than she was; defense is way less strenuous than offense.

And once they gave her an inch, she went to work. A swift attack to the tired waterbender got him off of the her, and with all of them raring to go, it was a quick one-two-three before the opposing team was in the sink. The crowd went wild, and the Fire Ferrets gave each other a hearty pat on the back which was very well-deserved.

Tenzin and Kuvira didn't join them on their victory. Rather they went straight back to Air Temple Island to wait for Korra. Tenzin didn't say a word the whole time, and that scared Kuvira more than if he had yelled at her or sent her back to Beifong. At least there, she knew that she was still in trouble.

It felt like a long time had passed when Korra finally came back. When she did, Kuvira had a hard time judging her mood, as in she couldn't tell whether she was still mad or sad or regretful, or what. What she _did_ know, however, was that she was standing as tall as Kuvira was. This was the first time she realized that the girl was the same height as her.

When she reached them, she bowed her head respectfully. "I'm sorry for losing my temper. I shouldn't have snapped like that."

Kuvira waited with bated breath for the man's response, which he waited an inordinate amount of time to give. "...You shouldn't apologize. You were completely right, and I'm sorry," he bowed back, making the girl feel slightly awkward; the master usually doesn't bow to the student. "I have been handling this in entirely the wrong way, and while you've been as patient as you can be at your age, I have not. Thus, I believe it's in order for some concessions. You can leave the island when you please. You can continue to participate in that tournament should they need you," Korra's eyes widened. "In fact, I encourage it," he offered a kindly smile. "You looked great out there; you moved _just_ like an airbender."

"Really?" Korra blushed lightly at that, not being used to receiving compliments from the notoriously hard-nosed Tenzin.

"I ask three things from you. First when you leave the island, take your watcher. Second, when you aren't practicing with your team, come back and work on airbending with me. After dinner is all yours. Third...try and use what you learn here whenever you can, whether that's here or in a match. Can you do that?"

She nodded excitedly. "Yeah! Of course!"

"Good...then, I'm sure you're tired," Korra nodded and chuckled, embarrassed. She left then, and Kuvira made to follow her. "Stay, please."

She froze, having assumed that she was off the hook. She turned back to face him.

"...I'm not reporting you, Kuvira," were his first words, immediately sending a wave of relief through the officer. "I fear I lack the...fortitude, to truly help Korra. I'm sure you've noticed; I have three kids and another on the way. I fear that I don't have the necessary time to give Korra the guidance she deserves. But I've had those thoughts from the beginning. Now, I fear I don't even have the guidance she needs at all, even if I had the time to give it to her. But you...you're different. You're younger, more easily able to keep up with her, and you two appear to operate on a similar wavelength, whereas I am completely out of synch with her. I'm not giving up on her or myself, and I will continue to train her in airbending and help her in the best way I see fit, and...I know that this is your job, but...I need you to watch over her. Do you understand? She needs a moral center, and I believe that you would be a perfect fit."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"A yes or a no would suffice."

Kuvira nodded. "It's either this, or go back on the beat. And honestly, the beat's sounding pretty nice right now," Tenzin laughed at that, in an understanding kind of way. "Yes, I'll keep my eye on her in your stead."

"Excellent. Then...I'm exhausted," his shoulders dropped ever so slightly. "Have a good night, Kuvira."

"To you too, Master Tenzin," she bowed respectfully.

Kuvira watched him off, and then went back to her own quarters. Korra was waiting, leaning against the wall between their doors. She stood straight when she saw her. "Was it...bad?" her tone was reticent; about what Kuvira had expected when she first returned to the island.

The officer blinked. She was worried? Kuvira shook her head. "No. He's keeping me around. He said that can't help you like he wants to be able to, so he's trusting me to take his place."

"Oh...so...you're still my babysitter?"

"I'd more say I'm a watcher."

Korra frowned at that, like she was expecting something else. "...you heard me earlier, right? I said 'these three'."

"So?"

"So...what do you think I want you to be, then?"

Kuvira chuckled, and held out her hand. "How about a friend?"

Instead of taking her hand, Korra embraced her tightly. A bit awkwardly, Kuvira hugged back.

"Friends."

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! So, long-story-short, I work second shift every weekday, so if I upload on a weekday, it'll be around this time...sorry.**

**In any case, a couple of notes. First off, thank you so much for reading; I hope you all enjoyed this rather long chapter. I really wanted this all in one chapter, just so I could say it was done, and so I wouldn't have to worry about a break in the flow, so to speak.**

**That said, I do think I rushed it a little bit; I could've done for a bit more description, though, given that this is a fanfic, I don't think it hurts the experience too much since you guys will know the places they go to.**

**One more thing before I go:**

**You might have noticed this already, but I have a goal for this fic: no dialogue tags. Or at least, so dialogue tags like "said" or "asked" or any other, more intricate, word. I noticed as I was writing my book that I use those a lot, so I'm doing this to see what my writing would be like completely without them. Instead, any tags will be simple indications of tone, changes in expression, or actions, if there will be anything at all. This kind of writing is new to me, so if it's a bit awkward to read, I'm sorry.**

**In any case, that's all. I'll see you guys next time!**


	4. A Good Eye

"Ugh…" Korra lazily threw the heavy ball to Mako.

"Stop complaining," Mako threw it to Bolin.

"But it's _so_ early…"

"Sorry, Korra; we're lucky to have gotten a spot in the gym at all," Bolin chuckled as he passed it back to the Avatar.

"Why don't we just practice on Air Temple Island?" Korra passed it to Mako.

"Because Air Temple Island doesn't have the right equipment," Mako passed it back to Korra.

"But it's _so…_" Korra yawned, and then threw it to Bolin. "Early…"

This kind of back and forth, roundabout conversation had taken up the entirety of the Fire Ferrets training session. It began with some stretches, and then had moved onto precision practice, like what Bolin had showed Korra, and now they were passing the heavy ball between them, to help take impacts.

"What about your spooky friend over there?" Bolin pointed to Kuvira. "Is she like your chauffeur, since you're the Avatar?"

"Kind of."

"Don't push it, Korra," Kuvira didn't even look up from her book.

"Oh crap, you were listening?"

"It's my job, Korra," she said it in a deadpan voice, still tired herself.

With that, the three went back to talking. "She's kind of like a bodyguard? She's actually really nice once you get to know her. Nicer than 'tall, dark, and moody' over there."

"Haha," Mako threw it to her a little rougher than before.

"You wanna go, city boy?" Korra slung the ball under her arm and form a flame in her open hand. A smirk was on her face as well.

"I could take you anyday, you backwater-"

"O-ho-kay guys, let's tone it down a notch," Bolin got between them.

"Ah, I'm just messing with you, Mako. I know you're _tough_!" she threw it back to him as hard as she could, and the impact sent him tumbling and rolling backwards on the ground. At that, both Bolin and Korra got a laugh.

Around that time, a man in a business suit came waltzing in. His mustache alone was enough to make him relevant for this conversation, but after that, Kuvira would doubt that she'd remember him. The man had a slimy grin on his face as he approached the pro-benders. "Ah, the Ferret's newest lackey, eh? She's, what, the fourth?"

"I am?" Korra looked to the others.

"Mako can get...kind of pushy," Bolin shrugged.

"We just needed to find someone who could keep up with us. You're that person, I know it," the older brother offered a smile, to reassure her. Korra nodded, and turned away as she felt her face heat up a bit. "Are you here to give us out winnings from last week?"

"Wait, last week?" Korra raised her eyebrows. "About time, then!"

The man huffed. "You're a mouthy one, ain't ya?" he reached in his pocket, and brought out a fat wad of Yuans, and placed it in Mako's open hand. The man was about to put it into his wallet, but the suited man stopped him. "Ah, ah," he started taking off chunks of the pile, rattling off all manner of reasons. Kuvira approached during this time. "First, you owe me for the newbie's gear, gym and equipment rentals from last month, rent on your apartment, and a personal loan to yours truly," he moved to take the last bit, but Kuvira caught his hand.

"Shall I arrest you for extortion?" the threat was coldly spoken, devoid of mercy. It was enough to make him put back the last bit of the pile; around 5,000 Yuans, or about a day's worth of work in a normal construction job.

Mako looked at the pitiful pile sadly, but stuffed it in his pocket nonetheless. The man cleared his throat. "Also, as you know, the tournament is coming up. While the Fire Ferrets will have qualified if you win tonight, they need to ante up at least 30,000 Yuans to compete; you've got until the first match, next week."

"30,000?!" both Korra and Bolin's jaws hung open. Kuvira shrugged; she made that in a week.

"Sorry kid," the man put a hand on Mako's shoulder; a false sign of reassurance, before taking his leave.

The three pro-benders looked more dour than Korra when she had to get up for practice. Bolin looked to her. "You wouldn't happen to have a crazy Avatar Yuan stash, would you?"

"Sorry, I'm broke. I never had to worry about money."

"Relax, guys," Mako went over to his bag and dug out a towel. "I've dealt with this stuff before. I'll scrounge up what we need. For now, get ready for the match tonight, okay?"

With that, Cool Under Fire took his leave, leaving Korra, Bolin, and Kuvira. The Avatar looked to her watcher, a smile on her face. "Not a chance," Kuvira preemptively turned down her plea for Yuans. "I have an apartment to afford here."

"What? But you aren't even staying there!"

The officer shrugged. "Still not giving out charity."

"Don't worry, Mako's good with this stuff," Bolin started taking off his uniform. "We had some money troubles a while back, and he got us out of that just fine."

"And you're just going to twiddle your thumbs and let him handle it on his own?"

"Well yeah," Bolin was smiling, completely content with his answer. "He's got this."

"Maybe I can ask Tenzin, for...oh, crap! Tenzin's expecting me! Come on!" without warning, Korra grabbed her watcher's wrist and dashed out. "See you tonight, Bo!"

"Let go of me!"

xxxXXXxxx

With just a simple warm-up, Korra was moving quite gracefully through the panels, and unlike her first few successful attempts, she wasted little movement in her motions. She hopped out the other side and landed, hands going to her knees. "Phew...this is _way_ harder than I thought it'd be…"

"And yet you're doing very well," Tenzin nodded. "Continue to keep proper form, continue to meditate and focus in your spirit, and you'll be airbending in no time."

Korra smiled at the thought. "You mind getting it going again for me?"

She kept going back and forth within the panels for a while, basically until she got tired enough to stop. By the time that happened, it was about mid-day. Also around that time, a certain Cool Under Fire came waltzing up the steps.

Korra noticed him first. "Oh, shit!" she quickly raised an earth wall, as if that wouldn't be obvious. Kuvira peeked around the wall.

"What?"

"It's him!"

"So? You saw him this morning," Kuvira put a hand on her hip.

"So, how do I look?"

"...You're joking."

"Gah! You're no help!" The Avatar peered around the wall. "Uh, hey Mako!" She put on a cheery smile.

"Hey Korra. You seen Bolin?"

She put a hand on her hip, dissatisfied, and Kuvira came from behind the wall. "Nice to see you too...and no, I haven't seen him since this morning."

"Damn…" Mako sighed.

"Why? Do you think something happened to him?"

"..." Cool Under Fire looked a bit hesitant to answer, but did so under the two women's expectant stares. "...I don't know. But he has a knack of getting himself into stupid situations."

"I wonder why that is," Kuvira didn't even try to be subtle with her pointed statement, eyes right on Mako.

He didn't seem to pick up on it. "Spirits, if he would just listen to me...anyway, I'll see you tonight. I'll have found him by then," he turned to leave.

"Hey, hold on," Korra caught his shoulder. "We can help you look, if you want."

"I...no, I can't ask you to do that."

Kivira stepped forward. "You think you have better odds of finding him alone?"

He gave her a hard stare, finally picking up on her hints, but he answered, "Okay, you two can come along. I didn't see him at his usual hangout, but someone there still might have seen him."

With that, the trio headed of to the United Station, where as Mako said, Bolin was nowhere to be found.

The station itself held a large courtyard directly out from the steps which led to the station proper. In this courtyard were some small attractions, and a large pedestal which held a statue of Fire Lord Zuko; a counterpart to Aang's statue out in the bay.

They saw all manner of child playing, mostly poor ones and those without parents. Even in their situation, they seemed happy enough, running around with big, goofy grins on their faces. Mako approached one of the ones standing off to the side; Kuvira had to assume he was acting as a referee of sorts for the game the kids were playing.

He turned to face them, as if sensing their presence, and immediately got defensive. "Oh craps it's the fuzz!" his voice echoed around the yard, and the kids all stopped in unison. "Scatter!"

The children all ran around in every direction, ducking and hiding in trash cans, around street corners, and, those who were fortunate, back to their parents. Mako glared at Kuvira. "You just _had _to bring those and give us away," he crossed his arms, gesturing to Kuvira's spools, which held the wires that the metalbending police used to get around.

"If we don't know where we're going, I'm going to be prepared for any situation."

Mako huffed at that, but didn't argue. "Alright, look for that kid. He might have some good info. Meet up here in twenty minutes."

"Sounds like a plan," Korra said, about to dash off, but Kuvira caught her arm.

"Have you forgotten my mandate?"

"Can't you drop it for, like, ten minutes?"

"Twenty. And no. I'll follow your lead," the way she said it offered no room for debate. Korra looked at Mako like 'can you believe this lady?' but he seemed to be avoiding it, looking for the best place to search. Finally, they split up.

The search itself was short; while the kids were fairly streetwise, Kuvira (and Mako) have been streetwise longer. Cool Under Fire was the one who caught the referee, and when the twenty minutes was up, the trio reconvened in the square.

"Let me go!" The boy was pulling against the grip that Mako had on his wrist and shoulder. Kuvira and Korra approached. "Get that she-bitch away from me! I'd didn't do nothing; I care what crap you've got!"

Korra leaned down, hands on her hips. "I doubt the police care enough about rats like you to arrest you."

"No, we do," Kuvira crossed her arms. "Pickpockets are all too common at and around the station. I'll be taking my wallet back now," she held her hand out.

"I don't got it."

"Scootchy!" Mako tugged on his arm.

"Ow! Alright, alright!" he relinquished the item.

"_And_ the Yuans that were in it," she kept her hand outstretched, and soon a stack of about 40,000 paper was safely back in her wallet. She saw Korra giving her a weird look. "What?"

"So you carry that much around, have spirits know how much in the bank, and you can't help us out a bit?"

"It pays to have a job," Kuvira answered, deadpan. Then, she knelt down to the boy. "I'm not going to arrest you so long as you don't tell me what you did; I'm here to help these people out."

"Why should I believe you?"

Kuvira bit her lip; she didn't really have a good reason for him to do so. "...So, how did you know I was with the police? The cable on my back?"

"Nah, I seen you in the uniform."

"So you recognized my face? You've got a good eye."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"Can you draw?"

"...A little."

"Okay, let's find you something to write with."

"What?" Mako's eyes went wide. "What are you-"

"Shut up," Kuvira stood. "Let me handle it. Keep a hold on him for me," Within a few minutes, they'd found (bought) a pencil and a piece of paper. Kuvira handed them to the boy. "I want you to draw someone for me. A woman around fifty, shorter gray hair, not quite shoulder length. She's got a hard, sharp face, with two line-like scars going down one cheek."

The boy gave her an odd look, but did as he was told. It took several minutes, and slower repeats of the description, and during that time everyone was a bit anxious. Kuvira, for if her bet would pay off, Mako, because he thought they were wasting time, and Korra, because she was extremely impatient. When he was done, he showed the completed work to Kuvira.

Now, 'done' is subjective, and Kuvira was no artist, but if he'd been given more than five minutes to iron out the details (and maybe ask for more), she would be it would look just like Chief Beifong. Even with so short of time, it was pretty close. The scars were on the wrong side, and the nose was off, as was the hairstyle, but the other parts were just fine; completely serviceable.

"May I have the pencil?" Kuvira held her hand out, and soon found the utensil in her grip. She quickly signed her name. "I know you don't like us, but with a little work, you could make a great sketch artist. If you ever want to help out, and earn a little paper, take that to the station and offer your help, or ask for tips."

"No way am I _ever_ going near your stupid station!" the boy snatched up the paper. "But...thanks…"

Mako then got his attention. "Alright, Skootchy, spill. Did you see Bolin earlier, around noon maybe?" the pro-bender held out a bill of 500 Yuans. The boy held his hand out.

"Keep it, Mako. I seen him, around noon like you said. He was loafing around like the big idiot he is, when suddenly Shady Shin comes waltzing out and flashes some major dough."

"Shady Shin?"

"Of the Triple Threat Triad, a local gang," Kuvira answered Korra's inquiry.

"Yeah. Next thing, Bolin hops into the car with him and they drive off. Seen a lot of that stuff around here lately; tough guys getting called in by all sorts of gangs; Triple Threats, Red Monsoons, Agni Kais, the works. Looks like some big joint operation or something, or maybe something else."

"Like what?"

Eyes turned to Korra, who was the only one who didn't get the implication. "He's referring to a turf war," Kuvira put a hand on her hip, eyes lowered in thought. "But...why now? Usually this happens when the city expands, but it's rare that the gangs actually aim to expand their territory, and definitely not all of them all at once…"

"Whatever, ladies. That's all you're gettin' out of me," the boy scurried off, leaving the trio.

Mako let out a frustrated growl. "Damn it! Spirits, but what has Bolin gotten himself into?" he pinched the bridge of his nose.

Korra pat his shoulder. "Mako, it's alright. We can find him and bring him back, and-"

Kuvira stopped her before she made a fool of herself. "Even if we could somehow take out the entirety of the Triple Threat Triad by ourselves, which might be possible if they weren't beefing up their numbers, we don't even know where they are. Not to mention, even if we _did_ know where they were, it's unlikely that you two could fight them off, rescue Bolin, and still have nearly enough energy for the match later today."

At first, Korra gave her watcher a glare at the rejection of her offer, but it slowly turned to resignation.

"I, uh...I know where they are," Mako's voice was strangely meek. He was always the more soft-spoken of the brothers, but he was never unconfident.

"You do? That's great!" Korra grinned, as now they had a little bit of hope.

"How do you know?"

"Because, uh...me and Bo...did some work for them, back in the day…" he craned his neck, trying to pass it off as casual. Kuvira frowned. "What? Don't give me that look; we just ran numbers and stuff. Do you have any idea what it's like to be an eight-year-old orphan in this world?"

"All too well, and it's no excuse," she didn't give him an inch, and he recoiled at her words. "...Take us there. If you know them, then maybe they'll understand that you need Bolin for the night."

"But...you're a cop," Korra stepped between them.

"And?"

"Won't you have to arrest them?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

"But-"

"One more word from you and _you'll_ be the one behind bars," she pointed at the pro-bender, right in his face. He blinked, but started walking.

Mako took them most of the way through downtown, to a rougher-looking neighborhood, with a bunch of closed-down shops. The police don't usually patrol this area, at least not many of them do, just because there are so few people here. At least, that's what they thought. Cool Under Fire peeked around a corner, looking toward a taller building within a small cluster of them on the block. The outside lights were on, but there was no sign of life. "That's odd…" he turned the corner, prompting the women to follow. "There are usually guards posted outside. I'd have thought…" he didn't finish, just walked up to the door. He put his ear against it, trying to listen for voices.

His approach was thrown out the window, however, when Korra walked straight up to the door and kicked it down, before walking casually inside. Kuvira followed, a bit more on edge, while Mako just looked a bit confused, as if he didn't expect that to work.

The room they entered into was a complete mess. There were several broken, overturned chairs, the decorations (basically just curtains) were torn and pulled down. There were all chunks of upturned earth and scorch marks on the walls, indicating a fight involving bending. The most interesting thing, though, were the wet spots. That gave them one clue; whatever happened here, happened recently.

Just as that thought crossed Kuvira's mind, they all heard the roar of a Satomobile, a big one, come to life. Mako was the closest one to the back door, and he burst through, shooting flames at something. When Korra and Kuvira followed, they saw a large truck along with two bikes, all occupied. The men who rode them were wearing full-body suits, preventing identification, but they saw through the open back of the truck that they'd taken prisoners, whoever they were. One of them was Bolin.

Mako's attacks proved ineffective, as they were already moving. In unison, the three charged after them, but if they didn't do something fast, then the kidnappers would be lost. Kuvira grabbed Korra's wrist. "Mako, the tires!" the officer didn't wait for a response as she shot out a wire toward the nearest rooftop, and yanked both her and Korra forward, charging ahead of the firebender. Soon, they'd caught up to the vehicles, and then a bit after that, they were ahead of them. Kuvira let Korra go on one side of the road and Kuvira herself landed on the other. She shot her wire toward the girl, who caught it. "Dig it in!" Kuvira thrust her wire into the nearby wall, and used her earthbending to keep it locked inside; Korra did the same.

The bikes were the first to reach them, where they were promptly clotheslined and sent tumbling to the ground, though Kuvira expected that their suits had padding to reduce the damage, at least in the head. The truck reached the wire next, and pushed against it, stretching it. Suddenly, right as the truck slowed, Mako's lightning arced through the air and caught one of the back tires. "Yes!" Korra smirked, rushing toward the truck to free the prisoners. She was stopped, however, by another suited man, who stood in her way.

Instinctively, Korra shot out a fist, sending a jet of flames toward the man, who ducked underneath and approached her. "Ah!" she stumbled back, not expecting him to move so fast, but regained her bearings enough to make some distance, putting up an earth wall, and then darting around it as he went the other way, trying to get to the truck.

Kuvira, similarly, had been blocked off. She saw one of the bikers get up as she was met with her opponent, and saw him cut the wire, allowing the truck to start moving again. The officer shot a boulder towards the man, who dodged it easily, before darting in she tried to bend an earthen wall, but the motion was blocked by her opponent. She swatted his arm away as it approached, and bent a pillar up towards his stomach. He actually managed to kick off of it, and the whole encounter was back to square one.

Korra, and now Mako too, were making about as much headway with their firebending, if not less. Korra launched into a complicated assault, impressively matching the man's motions to counteract them, though whenever she managed to get off an attack of her own, it was handily dodged. Mako, however, struggled. He was an excellent bender, but up-close wasn't his forte. He was the first to feel the heat. His opponent, the other biker from earlier, got in several light hits. Suddenly, his arm went slack.

Similarly, as Korra went for an axe kick to scorched her opponent from head-to-toe, her foots was caught and her leg bent, allowing easy access to strike along her arm, which went slack as well. She cried out, not expecting the strange mix of numbness and aching that came with it.

Kuvira lasted the longest, but was still caught. She got greedy, trying to get a good hit in, only to get her own arm caught. It went slack, and she knew what they were. "_Chi blockers?"_ she thoughts, desperately trying to recall the single training course that she received for dealing with them. She bent over the wire from earlier, locking it into her good hand and forming it into a small shield, recalling how it could be advantageous to play defensively against them.

It seemed to work well. The chi blocker didn't seem to have an effective way to counter the shield tactic, and when he started to get greedy himself, Kuvira was able to strike, launching a boulder which caught the man's shoulder, opening him up for another to the stomach. "Guys! Wait for them to…" she turned, only to see that Korra and Mako had both been downed. Now, Kuvira was faced with three chi blockers, by herself. Wonderful.

Seeing the obvious disadvantage, Kuvira did what any sensible person would do; run away. She used her earthbending to create a massive cloud of dust. She returned the wire to its original form and scooped up Korra and Mako, and managed to attach all of them to the roof of a nearby building, away from danger.

Kuvira looked down to the street, seeing the chi blockers driving away. She was tempted to follow them, but that would leave the two other benders completely helpless, and that wasn't what a watcher should do, and so she stayed and waited.

It was only a few minutes before they were up again. They both stood, and Korra immediately shot out a fist. "Damn it! I can't bend!" she tried again, with as little success as before. "I can't bend!"

"Relax, it's temporary," Mako help her arm, which had regained feeling but was still sore; the others' limbs were the same. "Those were chi blockers, Amon's henchman."

"Amon...you mean that Equalist guy?"

"Yeah, _that_ Equalist guy."

"But that's odd...all our reports claimed that they were a group of peaceful protesters. Their rhetoric may have been blunt, but they never acted so blatantly," Kuvira out a hand on her chin and closed her eyes, but couldn't think of anything she'd heard to indicate that they'd changed. "How did you know that they were with the Equalists?" She opened her eyes and turned to Mako.

"You see a lot of them in these dirty parts of town. I saw them training a few years back. Never seen them in action, though."

"Mm…"

"We need to go after them," Cool Under Fire started walking.

"Oh, so I suppose you did work for them too?" Kuvira put a hand on her hip. "We have no idea which way they went; the trail is cold."

"Well we can't just give up!" Korra balled her hands into fists. "We have a match tonight."

"Forget the match; my little brother's in trouble," Mako glared. "And I'm going after them. I'll tear this city down piece by piece if I have to."

"Let's not and say we did. We still have time before the match."

"Hey," Korra eyes lit up as she thought of something. "The first day I came here, I saw a guy talking about the Equalists and something about a 'revelation'."

"You think he knows where they took Bolin?" Mako's voice held the slightest bit of hope.

"It's our only lead right now. Here, it was in the park this way."

The trio set off toward said park, all quiet. Kuvira remained on edge, just because she didn't know if they'd be jumped, or if they'd target Korra since they saw her earthbend and firebend, thus making her the Avatar.

"So…" Korra began, hands behind her back. It was a cute gesture, though it was more likely done to push out her chest so Mako could see. "You said you were an orphan."

"...yeah."

"Do you...mind if I ask what happened?"

The man sighed at the question and then buried his face in his scarf. "They were mugged, by a firebender. He cut them down right in front of me...since then…" another sigh. "I was close to giving up a lot. I hated the world, I hated this city, _so_ much. The only thing I cared about was that I didn't want Bolin to become like that. I hid it as much as I could, and he's happy now. He's smiling again," he growled. "Damn it! Why does this have to happen right when things are starting to go right?"

"Mako…" Korra put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find him. Everything is going to work out."

"...I hope so…"

It was getting to be close to sunset by the time they actually reached the park. It was late enough that Kuvira was a bit worried that this man, whoever he was, wouldn't be out anymore. Thankfully, though, he was. He stood with a megaphone up to his mouth, standing on a pedestal in front of a large poster of the Equalist leader, Amon.

"The bending establishment is constantly keeping us down, keeping higher paying jobs from us, and taking away all of our freedoms. Amon will change-" he spotted them, specifically Korra. "And there's the core of the corruption. The Avatar is the pinnacle of the bending oppression!" The man's words, while ridiculous to the benders, appeared to sway the small crowd that had gathered around him, and they started getting glares on their faces. Kuvira was tempted to flaunt her badge and tell everyone to leave, but then she thought that might escalate the situation rather than diffuse it.

Korra, however, lacked that kind of tact. She marched straight up to the man and firebent the Amon poster to ashes, making the man yelp and cower, inadvertently kicking up the pile of posters that he had been offering, while everyone else ran. "Hey, friend. You're going to help us out, got it?"

"I have nothing to say to you, oppressor!"

This was when Mako stepped in. He grabbed the man by the collar of his shirt and lit a knife of fire up to his face, threatening to scorch right through his cheek. "Your Equalist buddies kidnapped my little brother. You're going to tell us where they took him. Now!" His voice rose to a yell. "What's the revelation, and why did you need to kidnap benders?"

"Bite me, firebending thug."

Mako growled, and looked ready to go through with his threat, but Korra caught his arm. "Don't," her voice was on edge, and a hard glare was directed at the protester. "He's not worth it."

Kuvira felt a bit of pride well up inside her at that act, strained though it was. She was impressed that Korra had the emotional fortitude not to beat the idiot's face in. She pulled out her badge. "This is an investigation into a kidnapping. If I think you're hiding something, I can have you arrested for obstruction of justice."

That threat seemed to do the trick. The man grimaced at the thought of jail time, and quickly caved. "No one knows what the revelation is, but Amon says that it's going to be big."

"Where is it?"

"No one knows that either, unless they're true believers in the cause."

"Don't give us that bull!" Mako looked ready to flog him, but Korra held him back. Kuvira started at the man expectantly, but it was clear that they weren't getting any more out of him.

"Get out of here," she shoved him away, and the man cowered off to the city. Kuvira sighed; she didn't like flaunting her policing power outside of the uniform. It just felt so wrong. Technically, she couldn't even arrest that guy, not until she donned the armor, given that she was considered off-duty.

Mako growled again. "And we're back to square one!" He threw his hands up and then crossed his arms, face contorted into a tight frown. Korra knelt down and picked up one of the flyers that had gone flying.

"...no location, no time, nothing."

Kuvira picked up another one, and soon Mako did too. The two looked at it, and then Mako turned his around. "Hey, what are these lines?"

The girls turned theirs around, and things began to click. "Hey, mines got a red dot on it," Korra showed it to them, and sure enough, there was one near a blue section.

"Mine doesn't," Mako furrowed his brow. "It looks like different pieces of a map."

Kuvira blinked, surprised that he could figure that out so quickly, and caught on. "You're right," she picked up a few more and examined them closely. "It looks like there are four," they began putting them in different orders, until one of them looked right. It appeared to be on the opposite harbor, but where along it was anyone guess, except… "I recognize this place. This was my beat a few years back. This is an abandoned warehouse here," she pointed to the red dot.

"Alright. We know where it is, I say we go take 'em out," Korra smacked her fist into her palm. Kuvira raised an eyebrow.

"So, your plan is to go and kick down the door, and then presumably defeat spirits know how many chi blockers who might be waiting for that very eventuality?" she put a hand on her hip.

"I'm waiting to hear something better," Mako was on Korra's side.

"And I'm about to give it. I've been thinking, on our way over, of a way to preserve your place in the tournament as well as rescue Bolin, and I believe I've come up with one. I will take Bolin's place during tonight's match."

"What?!"

"I wasn't finished. Mako will be there as well, but Korra will be attending this 'revelation,' whatever it is. My bet is that the kidnapped benders will be exposed during it, meaning we won't have to look for them."

"But...you just said."

"I wasn't _finished_. Don't fight them. You're a waterbender, it's by a dock; make some mist and secure your escape. Once you see that it _was_ the Equalists, beyond a shadow of a doubt, I can contact Chief Beifong and have her send a squad. Mako and I will rendezvous with you and Bolin after the match; we'll arrive as fast as possible to help ensure your escape and safety."

Mako crossed his arms. "But…" he seemed to be having some difficulty in refuting the idea. Korra had one, though.

"Then...we won't be together," it might've been Kuvira's imagination, but it sounded like she was disappointed by that. It was also a fair point even if she wasn't, given her job.

"It'll only be for an hour or two," the watcher put a hand on her shoulder, silently hoping that she wouldn't point out that she'd refused this event earlier that day. The truth was that Kuvira resented that she was forced to stick with the Avatar. They were friends, sure, but if they were going to be able to work together effectively, then the whole 'always being around each other' bit was going to be far too strict. Thus, she decided to momentarily break the rule.

"But even if you take Bolin's place, if Korra's gone then we'll be down a waterbender," Mako came up with something.

"True...but...do wouldn't happen to know Hasuk's address, would you?"

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! It's currently 2:58 in the morning, and I'm going to sleep in like half an hour. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, along with the changes I made to how things played out. I'll admit that the changes are largely superfluous, meaning they're not really changing how things play out, but I think they show character.**

**In any case, let me know what you think, and I'll see you guys next time!**


	5. Impressive

Mako was tapping his foot incessantly as he waited for the temporary members to the Fire Ferrets. He kept glancing at the clock, and the minutes kept ticking down. He gnashed his teeth together trying to calm his nerves.

Thankfully, they were up against a relatively weak team, but it wasn't the match that he was worried about. Korra was alone in the midst of all of those chi blockers. Bolin was still in trouble, and Mako was here worrying about a stupid sporting match. What kind of a brother did that make him?

Before he could wallow any further, the door to the locker room burst open and Kuvira entered, dragging a man behind her.

The officer threw Hasuk to the floor in front of her, bound in metal wire, getting a look of confusion from Mako. "You...kidnapped him."

"If I wasn't going to pay him to come, then I'd call it kidnapping," Kuvira released the waterbender.

"Mako!" Hasuk scrambled over to him. "You've got the help me, mam! This bitch is crazy! You've got to get me out of here."

"Not an option," Kuvira crossed her arms. "I believe I explained this to you, Hasuk."

"There's no way I'm playing for this garbage fire of a team again!"

"You're not really giving me much incentive to help you," Mako frowned. "You'll get two-thirds of the earnings for tonight, no questions asked. You could jump off the back every round for all I care, but you've got to put on the uniform."

"I don't…" Hasuk faltered at the mention of 'two thirds', given that that amount could probably afford an apartment for a month at least, especially the tournament qualifier match. He looked over to Kuvira, who showed no emotion as she took out the uniform. She would just as rather not play either, to be honest. "Damn it! Fine, but keep her away from me!"

"You got it," Mako smirked, and completely ignored Kuvira as she approached him and shoved the uniform into his arms, causing him to yelp. "Spirits, but you're pathetic…"

"Lay off me, man! You have no idea what she did to me!"

He turned to her as she clipped on the arm guards. "What'd you do?"

"I murdered his entire family and his pet goat dog."

Mako shrugged. "Well, nothing important was lost, anyway."

Hasuk grumbled at that, and even made to leave the locker room at one point. That got him simultaneous death glares from the other two, warning him to stay. He cowered back inside immediately and got dressed.

Within a few minutes the bridge out to the arena extended, and the three head out to meet the opposing team. They were a green and white uniform, but Kuvira know and didn't care about their name. Rather, she took her position and waited for the bell to sound.

Mako took the middle position. "Follow my lead you two. And try to keep up."

"Whatever," Hasuk grumbled.

Then the action started. With the sound of the bell, Kuvira went on the offensive, lifting and shooting two discs of earth at the opposing firebender. He managed to blast one apart but was caught by the other, sending him tumbling sideways into the waterbender. Hasuk took the opportunity to shoot the both of them into zone two.

This volley meant that she couldn't focus on the opposing earthbender, who nailed her in the chest. She manages to stay on her feet, but she was surprised by the strength of the throw. Mako came to her aid in destroying another disc meant for her, and she followed that up with her own to get back onto her feet. Mako then turned his attention, along with Hasuk, toward the zone two opponents, while Kuvira was left with the earthbender.

She exchanged a volley with the man, each matching the other's discs with their own, resulting in a stalemate. Finally, Kuvira fainted, holding into her disc as the man shot him. She twirled out of the way and bent her disc toward the edge of the ring. It ricocheted in such a way to strike him from the side, where Mako quickly sent him to zone two.

"Alright, nice," The team moved into enemy territory.

"Tch, you haven't seen anything yet," Kuvira growled. Mako blinked at that, but didn't have the chance to question it before the match resumed.

Another volley for Kuvira, this time with the firebender. She noticed out of the corner of her right eye that Hasuk was being pretty handily beaten by the opposing earthbender, and Mako had his hands full already. Kuvira wanted to help him, but she didn't get the opportunity before he was sent back into the previous zone.

Now, as Hasuk was getting up, she had two benders on her. She did what she could to avoid them, drifting left towards Mako. Then, she was caught by a ricocheted earth disc, sending her not backwards, but left and right into Makos attack, which was just about the worst case scenario. This sent her forward into the next zone, resulting two fouls (one for each of them, for hitting a teammate and crossing into an illegal zone).

Now back on equal grounds the three got only a bit of volleying in before the round ended, in a draw. The Fire Ferrets huddled briefly. "Okay, if we can talk this round then we just need to hold out for round three."

"Can't you guys keep them off me?" Hasuk rubbed his side that he'd landed on.

"Can't you play any better?" Kuvira frowned, causing him to yelp in fear.

Mako adjusted his arm guard. "Says the chick that got nailed so bad it cost us advantage."

"I would've been fine if not for the incompetent idiot over there."

The two got into a brief staring contest, but Mako eventually broke. "Just follow my lead."

With that, the three got into position for round two. As soon as the bell rang, the enemy team was on the offensive. Forcing the Ferrets to defend. Soon, they singled out Hasuk again, quickly sending him to zone two. Kuvira tried being more aggressive, quickly regretting it. She was nailed by the firebender and waterbender, and sent back to zone two. She and Hasuk were them getting hammered by their waterbender as they attempting to get a footing. With Mako going one-on-one, it wasn't long before he too came back to zone two, but not before Hasuk was completely blasted off the back of the arena.

"Kuvira, on me!" Mako came back with a vengeance.

"No, on me!" Kuvira similarly pushed hard, and she had to contend with tow benders at once.

Somehow, they managed to knock their waterbender back a zone, and then proceeded to do the same to the others, getting back onto neutral ground, but with only a minute left in the round, and with Hasuk down, they'd lose if this kept up.

"Focus on the firebender. Go all out, now!" Kuvira charged forward, launching two earth discs at the man. Mako growled, not wanting to take orders from her, but obeyed nonetheless. With some smart maneuvering from the two of them, they blasted the firebender off the back edge all the way from the center, with three nearly instantaneous strikes. This left them open, but Kuvira managed to avoid the counterattack, and Mako's resilience was enough to keep in the zone. With that, the round ended again.

Tis time, since it was the second round that ended in a draw, a tiebreaker was involved. The referee descended onto the arena, coin in hand. The crowd was silent as they heard the ting of the coin flip. It landed, red. The ref turned to Mako. "Choose an element."

Kuvira stepped forward, but Mako beat her to it. "We choose fire."

Kuira blinked, assuming she'd be the one to settle the tiebreaker. With the adrenaline of the match, she had to remind herself that she wasn't a regular; of _course_ she wouldn't be chosen. Of course, this didn't alleviate the irritation she felt that much.

Still, it could've been worse. Mako seemed to work best when he was alone, so things should turn out alright.

The tiebreaker lasted only thirty seconds. The firebenders tested the waters, so to speak, bobbing and weaving around each other's thrown blasts. Then the opposing firebender started getting fanyc, while Mako kept his cool. They circled each other, with mainly the opposing firebender striking. Finally, Mako saw his chance. When his opponent leapt up to strike, Mako fired out a quick one-two shot to get him off-balance, before shooting forward with a fireburst, grabbing the man by the shirt and arm, and throwing him straight down, off of the tiebreaker arena.

"_Impressive,_" Kuvira thought subconsciously. She wouldn't have thought to get in close like that, especially not when her opponent was being so aggressive.

With that, the round went to the Fire Ferrets. One more and they'd be good to go.

The round started poorly, however. Hasuk, once again (total waste of space) was immediately targeted and sent into the drink. It appeared he took their saying he could purposefully fall off each round to heart.

Meanwhile, Mako was desperately trying to mount an offense, but couldn't make headway against the zealous fire and earthbender. Kuvira, meanwhile, was being hammered by the waterbender. Both Ferrets were knocked back into zone two within the first minute. As the teams were about to start throwing, Kuvira waved up to the referee, holding a 'T' sign with her hands for a time-out. The ref blew the whistle.

Call it cheap all you want; they needed to break up their opponent's rhythm and get some of their own. Kuvira had to draw a hard line. She got close to Mako. "You're following me, got it?" she was this close to grabbing his shirt to threaten him.

"What? Why?"

"Because you need to."

"That's not a reason."

Kuvira gnashed her teeth, trying to come up with something. Then it hit her; it was obvious. "You're head's clearly not in the game. You're too worried about your brother."

"Of course I am! Why wouldn't I be?!" Mako was close to yelling. Kuvira tried to keep calm and rational, if not forceful.

"You should be!" Kuvira pushed him away. "Which is why you need to rely on _me _to keep us going! I'm focused. I'm ready to win this, but I can't do it if you're not on my side."

Mako grit his teeth, wheels finally turning. "...Fine. We'll try it your way."

"Okay, good. We're going all offense; we don't have a prayer if we don't. When the round starts, jump to the edge of the ring; force them to split their attention. Watch for when one's attention changes away from you, and then strike. Don't use any fire to block; you need to dodge like your life depends on it. I'll be doing the same, and I'll be sticking on the right of the arena, so you stick to the left so we don't get in each other's way. Whoever lands the first hit picks the target, and we take each one out in turn. Plan?"

"Yeah, sure."

With a sigh, Kuvira waved to the ref to let him know they were ready. The two took up positions. The bell sounded, and the plan went into motion. They each darted right to the edge of the ring. Mako went right up against the rails. Kuvira stuck close to them, but in a bit, so she could square up around a single earth disc dispenser.

Their opponents seemed a bit off-put by this approach, but went to work. As Kuvira feared, they each picked a target and stuck with them. The fire and earthbender got onto Mako and the waterbender onto Kuvira, like before. But that worked to their advantage. As soon as there was an opening, Kuvira went on the offensive.

She didn't attack the waterbender, which seemed to confuse him. Rather, she went right for the opposing earthbender. By some miracle, this opened Mako up to attack, and he quickly zeroed in. Right as the earthbender's attention strayed from him, he let loose a barrage of fire blasts, before ducking and rolling toward the center to avoid a opposing fire barrage. Kuvira took up the torch then, launching a complicated assault, weaving in her dancing and evasion with her earthbending, only putting the slightest amount of pressure on the ground each time; just enough to get a feel for the disc before wrenching it up and into an arc toward their opponent. Within just thirty seconds, the earthbender was in the drink.

That left the water and firebender. The two returned to the outside of the ring, with one bender to deal with each. The opposing team seemed to want to adopt their strategy, but couldn't handle it. As soon as the firebender turned to attack Kuvira along with his earthbender buddy, Mako lit him up. Once Kuvira saw this, she took her shot.

Her foot landed on an earth disc. She pulled it up, flipping herself and kicking it toward the firebender at the same time. That was enough for Mako to send him to zone three (opposing side). With him momentarily downed, Mako and Kuvira went to town on the earthbender, quickly knocking him back and getting things to neutral ground. So of course, this was when the round ended.

With both teams at a stalemate, another tiebreaker was announced. This time, the Fire Ferrets lost, and the opposing team chose earth as their element of choice.

Kuvira and her opponent entered the tiebreaker ring, which was raised about three feet above the arena. They took stances, and the bell went off.

Immediately, Kuvira went aggressive, launching two discs in quick succession. Her opponent copied her movements, neutralizing the strike, and then went in close. She sou around the attempted grapple, and slammed an earth disc into her opponent. Unfortunately, he stayed on the platform, and stood swinging.

The watcher weaved around d his strikes, having trouble finding an opening. Eventually, one caught her. Once one did, so did another. Kuvira went tumbling along the ground. Another one hit her, sending her flying. The ref was about to call it, but Kuvira wasn't done yet.

She'd grabbed an earth disc as she rolled, and kicked off of it to get back onto the platform. She landed hard, straining her bending to grab every available disc before shooting them all in turn. Her opponent couldn't handle it. And was sent off of the platform.

With that, the Fire Ferrets won the match. Mako and Kuvira didn't wait for the celebration. As soon as the bridge extended. They ran back to the locker room, shed their gear, and dashed out the door, leaving Hasuk in the dust.

They made their way out of the arena and through town, more worried than eager to get to the revelation. This worry was only intensified when an explosion went off right where it was supposed to take place.

Thankfully, Kuvira had brought along a radio, along with a few strips of metal so she could bend more freely. The radio was big and bulky as hell, but it allowed her to contact Beifong when something like this happened. She rang for her as soon as they saw, and heard, the explosion.

"Hello? Who is this? How do you have this frequency?" Her voice was gruff and tired on the other end.

"Chief, this is Officer Kuvira. I'm currently heading south along Laogai Avenue, en route to an Equalist rally."

"So what? Those are perfectly legal, officer. And that isn't your assignment."

"Avatar Korra is currently there, rescuing several kidnapped benders. If possible, I need a squad down here for backup."

There was a bit of silence on the other line as Beifong thought it over. Finally, she answered, when they were about three blocks away. "Copy. Keep to the Avatar and get out of there as soon as possible. I ca have a squad there is ten minutes for arrest."

"Copy...thanks."

Kuvira wasn't sure if she heard that last word, as she didn't answer. In any case, the two arrived as fast as they could. As they drew closer, they ran into the fleeing crowd from the explosion. Only die-hard Equalists stayed behind to watch as they surrounded the Avatar, or so they hoped would happen. As it was, Korra was nowhere to be seen. They stopped a bit away from the actual building (which was now on fire), and looked around. "Any signs?" Mako had fire ready to fly in his hands already. Kuvira shook her head, but readied her metal all the same. "Split? Check the alleys."

"Good plan," Kuvira dashed off before she finished, and Mako was similarly eager. They rean opposite ways, obviously, and only stopped for the briefest of moments to check down the alleyways that Korra might have gone down. Strangely, they didn't run into any Equalists, at least Kuvira didn't.

Rather, she started to hear sounds of battle. As she drew closer, she recognized Korra's grunts of exertion she made as she bent. Kuvira heard her falter just as she rounded a corner to an alleyway.

Korra lay on the ground, struggling to stand, as a jump-suited man stood over her, electric batons at the ready to end it.

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, shorter one today, and one that I don't have time to proof read because it's a. Teusday, no...Wednesday...morning (2:55 AM) and I need to get some sleep to go to work...today. Gods, but second shift is whacky.**

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed; conclusion of the revelation segment should be up...hopefully within the week? If not, over the weekend or the beginning of next week.**

**See ya!**


	6. People Like You

"The Revelation is upon us, my sister," the big and burly man stepped aside, offering a shockingly welcoming smile to Korra, who offered an (admittedly) awkward one of her own. She had done what she could in the short span of time between planning and execution to muster up a disguise, with a too-big, blue-collar Republic City-style coat and an equally too-big, fur hat to tuck her hair into. To her great shame, Korra had to let down her hair, including the band that held her ponytail.

In any case, Korra made her way to a large, rectangular room, absolutely packed with people. The Avatar couldn't help but falters seeing so many people, all here because they hated benders. She pulled the collar of her coat over her mouth, trying to hide away as much as possible; I'd she was found out, then there would be an absolute mob scene.

She took a deep breath, trying to steel her nerves. In essence she was trying to emulate how Kuvira would act; calm, focused, practical. It wouldn't help her or these people if a fight broke out. Leave them out of it, get Bolin, and get the hell out of there.

She made her way into the crowd, trying to find a center spot where she could blend in, in case the Equalista remembered what she looked like.

And that worry right there highlighted a particular quirk of this whole thing. She was thinking as if the Equalista had a hive mind, that what one knew, all of then knew. And that thought was scary.

Still, it wasn't long before the lights dimmed and the spotlights came on. Korra tended when she heard the squeak of a mic coming to life.

"Ladies and gentlemen, fellow brothers and sisters! I present your savior, Amon!" Smoke filled the stage as both the man in question and six other people rose from underneath the stage. The whole thing was set up like a play, which was fitting given the kabuki mask that Amon chose as his image. And despite how fun that word was to say, seeing his cold, dead eyes peering through and expressionless face was unimaginably off-putting. It was made even worse when he began speaking.

His tone was calm, his voice deep and commanding. There was a certain cadence to it; a slow, mesmerizing form that almost made you melt into his speech, giving it that extra amount of power.

He walked up to the mic, and started. "Brothers and sisters. The time is nearly upon us. I have spoken at length about my past to you already. Some are doubtful of my story, that a firebender mercilessly cut down my parents and took my once natural face from me. Tonight, if at all within my power, your doubts about me, and therefore our cause, will be void," he reached up to his mask, and lifted it from the chin up. "Behold. This is the result of one of us standing up to the bending oppression alone."

The mask was removed, revealing was could only be called a horror show. His face was more scar tissue than healthy skin, with a jagged burn stretching all the way from his forehead to his chin, covering most of the width of his face as well. Truthfully it was a miracle that he even kept his eyes. The crowd went wild.

"Down with benders!"

"Take them down!"

The cheers continued as Amon put his mask back on. "After I received this permanent reminded, I realized that standing alone is a fool's endeavor, if ever I would even have the willpower to attempt it. Then, as if decreed by fate itself, I was visited by the Spirits, who bestowed upon me a power; a power that will cause all benders to cower in fear, just as we have been forced to at their hands. I alone have been given the power," he spread his arms out, his voice rising into a powerful call. "To take someone's bending away. Permanently."

A mixture of gasps and cheers echoed throughout the hall, with equal parts fervor and disbelief. Amon held a hand up to quiet them.

"I understand your doubt. But fear not, brothers and sisters. I promised that your doubts would be void, and I deliver on my promises."

Just then, a group of four people were brought out, hands tied behind their backs. One of them was Bolin; Korra could only guess that the others were the Triple Threat Triad. Korra made to move forward, to get Bolin out of there, but then the Equalists did something that she wasn't expecting. They let one of them go.

Granted, he was kept on the stage by a wall of Equalist chi blockers, but his hands were free, and he could bend. Amon gestured to the man who appeared to be the leader, the one who was freed, who wore an expensive-looking coat. "This is Lightning Bolt Zolt; a notorious criminal who is known for exploiting non-benders day in and day out. He will be the first to fall."

"What the hell? You're a damn psycho, you know that?" Zolt readied himself, seeing that running wasn't really an option.

"Let us be the better men, shall we?" Amon ignored him. "He may fight for his bending."

Zolt smirked. "You're gonna regret that, pal!" he charged forward, sending out several blasts of fire, which Amon avoided handily. The masked man suddenly burst into a sprint, ducking under Zolt's fire and getting behind him. As Zolt turned, he charged up lightning on his fingertips, and fired it off. Amon avoided it by an inch, grabbed Zolt's wrist, and directed the bolt up to the ceiling, knocking out half of the lights in the room.

Amon then placed a thumb onto Zolt's forehead, and then it was all over. Zolt's lightning slowly faded back into a stream of flames, which then fizzled out into nothing. The gangster fell to the ground, seemingly numb. A few seconds later he sat up, and tried to bend fire at Amon, but nothing came out. Shocked voices filled the hall, but Korra couldn't even manage that.

All she could think about, in that moment, was how she'd feel if _she_ was the one who that had happened to. And those feelings froze her in place for too long.

It wasn't until the second Triple Threat members got his bending taken that the Avatar managed to regain herself. "_Calm, focused, practical,_" she reminded herself, briefly closing her eyes and blocking out the horrified screams of the Triad members. Bolin would be a non-bender within just a few seconds.

Korra opened her eyes and looked around. To her surprise (she'd never really had to plan things out before, at least not to this scale), she came up with a plan quickly. She remembered that Zolt had taken out half of the lights. If she could take out the rest, then she could pretty severely limit their ability to find her. She looked to her left to see a bunch of tanks. Whether that was steam or gasoline inside, Korra could make an effective explosion with her fire, and it was high enough up to where the explosion would be unlikely to hurt anyone directly. And if Korra had to give the Equalists one thing; they made it very easy to both find and get to the exit, which was very big in case a lot of people had to leave at once (Korra assumed this was in case the cops showed up and everyone had to get away).

With those two things in mind, Korra made a mental note of the tank's position and moved forward. The third Triad member already had his bending taken. Bolin was freed, but didn't move toward Amon. Poor kid...he looked absolutely terrified. He held his arms up in surrender, but the masked man wasn't having it, walking slowly toward the boy.

Korra then burst into action. She shot a fist upwards, sending fire up and into a light. The action caused the people around her to scatter, realizing that there was a bender in their midst. She took the extra space to lift a boulder up and smash it into the beam supporting the rest of the lights, knocking their wiring out enough to shut them off.

"The Avatar!" a man exclaimed, though it wasn't Amon. Korra would figure out later that it was his Lieutenant, who wielded electric batons as his weapon of choice. "Seize her!"

Korra readied herself for a fight, but had to remind herself that she wasn't here to beat them all. If she tried, hell if she tried to beat just _one_ without specific training against them, she'd probably lose. So instead, she propelled herself onto the stage using her fire, completely avoiding the approaching chi blockers. She landed next to Bolin, and quickly shot a super-focused fire shot toward the tank.

It turned out that it was gasoline.

The explosion was a lot bigger than Korra was expecting. Thankfully, the majority of the force was upwards, blowing out the roof and such, but a fair amount knocked back the remaining crowd and the Equalists. Korra herself had formed an earthen barrier to protect her and Bolin.

"Oh, Korra!" bolin cried, arms out for a hug. "I love you!"

"No time!" Korra grabbed his wrist and dragged him away, knowing for a fact that she couldn't take out Amon by herself. If Kuvira were here, then...Korra shook her head. For now, it was just her. And she was the Avatar.

Soon, she and Bolin burst through the back door, onto a balcony which had a ladder leading down. Bolin went first, followed by Korra. Little did she know that they were being pursued by the Lieutenant. Just as Bolin hopped off, he rammed his batons into the ladder. Korra cried out as electricity course through her body, locking her hands onto the bars for its duration.

"Korra!" Bolin cried, acting quickly. He wrenched up a boulder. It missed the Lieutenant, but if forced him to dodge to make it do so, ending his assault. The Avatar fell right into Bolin's arms. Thankfully, she was still conscious, though dazed. She held her head as Bolin set her down.

The lieutenant jumped down to confront them, and immediately went on the offensive. He slapped and slashed with his batons, driving the two benders apart. Korra returned with a volley of fire, but the man avoided it. Bolin then shot a few boulders at him, to the same effect. The lieutenant moved in on Bolin, and the burly boy was unable to keep up. Korra charged in to help, but she didn't make it in time before he got an electric baton to the face, knocking him right to the ground.

Korra ran forward, earthen mound at the ready, she shot it toward the Lieutenant as she rolled forward, so as to avoid the inevitable strike. She did so, getting behind him and shooting a burst of fire into his back. He managed to stay on his feet and more than that recover fast enough to launch a counteroffensive. He whirled around, batons lit up. Korra did as she practiced, weaving and twirling around his strikes.

But this was when she remembered that her understanding of this style was imperfect. The Lieutenant drove her toward a wall, and pinned her against it with nowhere to go. Soon, once he had her pinned, he got a direct shot, and after that it was nothing. One strike to the gut got her feeling. Ue followed that with a strike to the head, making her vision go white, followed by a sweep of the legs, a grab of the wrist, and a throw to send her sprawling onto the ground, too dazed to stand.

She groaned and held her headz trying to regain her bearings. When next she could really focus, Korra saw the Lieutenant standing over her, batons at the ready.

"You've got to understand. There's just no place for you anymore. It's nothing personal."

"It kind of feels personal," Korra growled, defiant even when she was still helpless and reeling. The Lieutenant frowned at that, sighed, and raised a baton to strike.

Before he could, however, a strip of metal shot onto and bent around his head, blocking his vision. He cried out in shock, and turned around just in time to get a boulder to the face, knocking him away and into the nearby wall. Korra's spirits immediately lifted when she saw a familiar face with that distinct beauty mark below her eye.

"Are you okay?" The face, normally perpetually neutral or bored, was now fraught with worry. Korra grinned.

"Kuvira!" she leapt up to hug her, lifting her off of the ground. "Oh, I'm _so_ glad you're here!"

"Yes, yes, okay hey- ribs! Ribs!" She exclaimed, feeling them being crushed before Korra set her down. The Avatar then went over to Bolin and helped him to his feet.

"You okay?"

"Ah, yeah, nothing to worry about. I had it handled pretty before you, uh…" he trailed off his faux-suave speech when he saw her expression. She had a smirked, an amused one rather than a mocking one.

"Dude, it's cool. We're friends. And friends help each other out."

"Right...thanks for the save."

It was around this time that the Lieutenant recovered. He ripped off the metal slab, which Kuvira retrieved with her bending. The two of them had a bit of a stand-off. Korra looked to her watcher; confident. It was like she had no doubt that she could take this guy. Come to think of it, Korra hadn't ever seen her go all-out before.

He made to attack despite the numbers disadvantage but was stopped. "Lieutenant!" Amon called as a truck zoomed by turning to leave, along with two bikers. The man understood immediately, and turned tail to run. Already, Korra heard police sirens.

She and the others charged after them, but they'd never catch up on foot. Suddenly, a burst of fire exploded out from an alleyway, catching one of the bikers square on the face. "Mako!" Bolin knew immediately that it was him and sure enough the firebender jogged out of the alley.

"Let's get out of here," he didn't waste any time in getting to the point.

"What?" Korra crossed her arms. "What about Amon?"

"What _about_ him? We won't catch up to him on foot, and you both are safe. Mission accomplished."

"But Amon is right there! Naga is just around the corner, so…"

As they were arguing, Kuvira had gone over to the bike, examined it a bit, and then climbed on. "Hey!" She got their attention. "Are we going or not?"

Bolin held his hand up in protest. "Uh, no. Hey, I don't know about you guys, but I'm not in a rush to chase after the scary mask- whoa!" Korra grabbed his wrist again and whistled. Her polar bear dog came running, and Korra wrenched the earthbender up. Mako rolled his eyes, but climbed on behind Kuvira.

Soon, both were zooming after the Equalists. On their way, they passed several police cars who were going towards the sight of the revelation. Korra would bet that either there were still Equalists there, or they split off in a different direction. Either way, the police had a better shot at catching them than the ones they were chasing.

On an unrelated note, Kuvira was somehow stupidly awesome at riding a motorbike. No matter what obstacles were thrown at them (that Naga just easily avoided), she expertly weaved around, almost like she were applying her bending style to her riding. Mako, however, wasn't appreciative of her fun maneuvers. He was holding onto her for dear life, and seeing that put a tinge of jealousy into Korra's gut.

Not that they had time for any of that. Bolin leaned over (showing incredible leg strength by staying on Naga) and shot rapid-fire pebbles toward the far truck. Unfortunately, none of them managed to pierce a tire, and in response the Equalists released a cloud of gas behind them. Naga's sight was excellent, even through the cloud, though Korra went ahead and avoided it when she could anyway.

Kuvira, meanwhile, was busy being a badass. In a swift motion, she made herself a ramp up onto a nearby roof, sped up, and landed right next to the truck. Mako took some potshots at the truck, to little effect. Thankfully, the benders had the overwhelming reach advantage, so if they could exploit that, then these Equalists and cho blockers wouldn't be much of an issue.

Korra joined in then, pelting the Equalists with fire and earth anytime they tried to poke out to hit Kuvira and Mako. Bolin, likewise, was doing his rock pellet thing, trying to hit a wheel.

Eventually, the road narrowed, and with Kuvira and her bike quickly losing space, the Equalists naturally saw the opportunity to take her out. With a turn of the wheel, they veered left toward Kuvira and Mako. With no other options than 'get squished' or 'move', Kuvira chose the latter, braking back, closer to Naga, who was quickly running out of stamina.

"I've got a shot," Mako began charging up lightning as soon as he started speaking. Kuvira only processed the words after it was too late.

"What? No!"

Mako shot a bolt of lightning forward, toward the back tire of the truck, and it hit dead on. The tire exploded, sending the truck into a frenzy on the road, bashing into the other bike, sending it careening and then bouncing off of the nearby wall. Kuvira certainly wasn't expecting that, and veered dangerously to avoid it, having to turn so sharply and moving so fast that both she and Mako fell off of the bike before it crashed into the wall and blew up.

They tumbled along the ground, and in that time the truck regained steering, zooming away (slower than before, but then again, so were their pursuers). Naga screeched to a halt where Kuvira stopped, licking her face as she groaned.

"By the Spirits!" Korra leapt from Naga and rushed to Kuvira's side. "Are you okay?"

Kuvira sat up and raised a hand to her forehead. "Oh…" she shook her head. "I would be better if _someone_ hadn't gone all maverick on them."

"I said I had a shot," Mako was still sprawled out onto the ground, Bolin standing over him. Eventually, the earthbender offered and hand, which Mako took to stand. Kuvira, likewise, was soon on her feet.

Korra sighed. "Whatever. It's not a big deal, I guess," Korra knew she sounded like she was trying to convince herself, which she was. "Like Mako said; we're all safe, so mission accomplished. Plus, I'll be the police got some of them. Maybe we can find something out from them."

"How about we all just go home?" Kuvira didn't even try to hide her frustration. "I've had enough of the Avatar's 'fun' for one day, thank you," she stretched her back, feeling it pop several times. Bolin chuckled nervously.

Mako crossed his arms. "I'm in favor of that."

"Ooh, ooh, what about the match?" Korra's eyes lit up, completely ignoring her watcher's exhaustion.

"We won. Don't worry," Mako smiled. Kuvira scoffed.

"No thanks to you…" she must've thought she said it under her breath, but she didn't. All of them heard it, Mako especially.

"Alright, that's it. What's up?" he walked up to her, standing at least half a foot over her. "Do you have a problem with me?"

Kuvira didn't look very intimidated by this obvious dominant gesture. In fact, he one-upped him but raising herself up to his level with an earth pillar. "What tipped you off?" she crossed her arms.

Korra stepped in to diffuse the situation. "Vee, please-"

"No, I want to hear this."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow at that, but obliged. "This," she gestured around her, including the exploded bike and destroyed bike and charred tire remnant and wrecked street. "This is all your fault. Every little bit."

He chuckled. "You're kidding. If anything, and no offense bro, but if Bolin hadn't gotten caught like a complete idiot-"

"And why do you think he did? He agreed to help a gang that you both knew. And why did he do that? Because he doesn't know any better," Kuvira's voice never rose, and yet its intensity completely disarmed Cool Under Fire. "You acted the protective older brother because you were given a hard lot in life. You had to do questionable things, maybe take dirty money, to get by, and you shielded Bolin from all of it. You never led him experience hardship, heartache, trauma, even stress. And now look at him; he's sheltered. He's naive. He's weak-willed. You've wasted his potential as a damn human being, and if you hadn't, then maybe he would have 'gotten caught like a complete idiot'. I don't like you, Mako, because I've dealt with too many people like you. People who think they know better, who protect but never guide. And I'm _through_ dealing with those people."

The others had absolutely no words for that little speech. Part of it was undoubtedly tiredness, that they couldn't come up with anything, even a flimsy retort. But maybe she also had a point, even if she made it in about as rude a way as possible.

At their silence, Kuvira turned on her heels and started walking away. "Where are going?" Korra pointed to the bay. "Air Temple Island is that-"

"I'm going home."

And with that, she was just gone.

xxxXXXxxx

The Fire Ferrets hardly spoke on the way back to the arena. Korra decided to help them back, just because they couldn't be sure that the Equalists would try and capture them, and they'd have better odds together. Once they actually made it back, Bolin went straight to bed; Kuvira's scathing remarks really hit him hard.

Mako just looked sullen the whole time. Well, more sullen than usual, anyway. Korra wanted to say something, anything, to try and cheer him up, but the words just weren't coming to her. She chuckled sadly as she thought of that. "What?" his voice was soft, unsure.

"Nothing," she waved it off. "It's just...I'm the Avatar, the beacon of hope in the world. But I can't even figure out how to cheer up my friend," Mako shrugged at that, and so Korra said the only thing that came to mind, whether or not it was an empty statement. She put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm sorry about Kuvira. She can be...difficult...to get along with, at times."

Mako shrugged again, and burying his face in his scarf. "...She just doesn't know what she's talking about," he closed his eyes, probably lost in his memories of those 'questionable things' he'd done.

"Actually, Mako, I...I think she does…" Korra inwardly cringed, knowing that it wasn't the right thing to say even as she said it. He looked at her with his incredulous face, not believing what he was hearing; Korra agreed with her. "...I guess you probably think I'm just a dog doing tricks, huh? Just believing what she says all of the time?"

"..." he chose not to respond to that. Good on him; she would've gotten offended no matter what he said.

"...I think what you did was really cool, by the way. Even if I...can't exactly agree with you on a lot of things, I guess I can compliment you on this," she put her hands on her lap, fingers interlaced in an embarrassed posture. There was a hint of red in her cheeks. "You thought about what would happen _after_ Bolin was safe. He would've been so hurt and disappointed if he knew that he was the reason we gave up in the tournament. It was...really cool that-"

"Save it. It wasn't my idea," he buried his face deeper into his scarf.

"_Well, that didn't have the intended effect,"_ Korra thought. Then, she took a risk, hoping it would help. She leaned in and placed her lips on his cheek in a kiss. He froze, and when she leaned back, he looked at her with wide eyes. "Maybe not, but you still did it."

Mako blinked, not having words. Korra, not thinking on what she just did, immediately shuffled away, face turning as red as a beat.

"Oh, uh, I mean, uh…" she stood suddenly. "I-I should probably tell Tenzin about what happened. I mean, he _is_ a councilman so, you know, hehe…" she just kept rambling on as she slowly backed away. Then she couldn't take it anymore, and she ran away.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! No proofreading again today. I'll try and proofread and correct mistakes over the weekend...maybe. Weekends I've kind of designated to my book, though, so we'll see. In any case, I hope you all enjoyed reading.**

**I wonder who Kuvira was talking about at the end, there *cough cough***

**Oh, and one more thing. Just on the typo thing; I mainly write this on my phone (usually on my breaks at work), so that's why there might be more typos than some other people who write exclusively off of a physical keyboard. So...yeah, just wanted to say that.**

**In any case, thanks again for reading, and let me know what you thought in a review!**


	7. Enter Tarrlok

"This city needs a hero," the young man clad in high class Water Tribe clothing stood at a half-circle table before a hall filled with rows of benches, which was where both Korra and Kuvira were currently. This was the councilman's table. "It's as I've been saying for months now; this kind of organized strike is what we need to be actively pursuing against these Equalists."

This was Tarrlok; South Water Tribe representative on the council. It had five members, all representing a different nation; Southern Water Tribe, Northern Water Tribe, Earth Kingdom, Fire Nation, and the Air Nomads, whose representative was obviously Meelo.

No, alas, it was Tenzin, who seemed to be the least in favor of Tarrlok's proposed idea.

"For the last time, Tarrlok, this 'task force' that you've been proposing would only cause a further divide between benders and nonbenders. That is the opposite of what we want."

"You also said that before they began kidnapping benders off of the street. 'But they were criminals!' I hear you say. That may be, but kidnapping is kidnapping. It isn't a huge jump from this to innocent people, to your friends and families."

"Tarrlok…" Tenzin rubbed his temple. "Active aggression isn't the answer. We must try and make peace with these people, appeal to them. I doubt that they want a war anymore than we do. Do you want that, Tarrlok?"

"I wouldn't dream of plunging this city into a civil war. Not in a million years. But that is exactly why we need my task force. We need to strike them down before they perform a major operation, and after the events one week ago, I think we all know a major operation is inevitable."

The other councilmen and women remained hesitant.

"In addition, I would like to offer a position in the task force to Avatar Korra."

"What?!" The girl in question stood from her seat on the benches.

"She is the key to peace. The Avatar has long since been a symbol of such; I have no doubt that her involvement would quell any fears of this so-called aggression," That seemed to sway the older men and women at the table. "All in favor."

To both Tenzin's and Korra's chagrin, four people voted in favor. It seemed that they were right on the cusp of agreement, and the Avatar comment must've been that deciding factor. Tarrlok just grinned, figuring he'd won. And an argument could he made that he had, but…

"You don't have to do this," Tenzin put a comforting hand on Korra's shoulder once they returned to Air Temple Island. "So long as you don't, this idiotic venture can't continue. That was the deal."

"I know," Korra smiled, accepting the gesture. "But…"

"Korra...you must know that peace is preferable to conflict, yes?" she nodded. "Using your status as the Avatar to promote such is…" Tenzin sighed, realizing that he was projecting a bit. "In any case, I leave the decision tentatively in your hands. No matter what you choose, you'll always have a place here."

"Thank you," the Avatar bowed her head respectfully as he left to tend to his family.

Kuvira waited patiently for the inevitable rant; she was getting know Korra well enough to figure that it was coming. This wasn't something she would take lying down.

The rant in question came only when they returned to Korra's room, as she claimed to want to rest until she had pro-bending practice later that day. She plopped down onto her bed as Kuvira shut the door, and then threw up her hands. "Spirits, that Tarrlok! Who does he think he is?"

"A powerful political figure," Kuvira decided to give a dry, sterile answer.

"An idiot! He's no Water Tribe representative!" she growled. "Spirits, but I've known him for like four hours and already he's pissing me off!"

"Korra," Kuvira said her name forcefully, enough to get her to look at her. "You need to take a step back and think," she walked over to the bed and knelt down in front of the Avatar.

"I just...I don't want to join his stupid task force. I already have enough to do!"

"Maybe, but you are the Avatar. Some would say you have a responsibility to take _some_ kind of stance on the matter."

"...Do you?"

"I think I know yours without you saying it directly. Neither of us like the Equalists, right?"

"No. They kidnapped my friend, and Amon…" Korra shivered, hands to opposite elbows. Anytime the man was brought up, even in passing, the Avatar would shake. Of course, she'd told her story about Amon removing people's bending. Tenzin and the other leaders didn't believe it at first, but Korra's insistence, along with Bolin's testimony, was enough to convince most of them. Whether or not it was true (and Kuvira believed that it was), whatever happened during the revelation was still bothering Korra. "He's...twisted."

"Then it makes a certain amount of sense to take a stand against them."

"Kuvira, you...you're in favor of Tarrlok's idea, aren't you?"

The watcher stood, avoiding the worried look Korra was giving her. "Like I said, it makes some sense; kill the weed before it overtakes the plant and you have to uproot both. That's not to say we should punish nonbenders, but...the Equalists, as a threat, are real. Amon is a threat, and threats, no matter what category they belong to, need to be dealt with concisely and before things get out of hand."

"But...I agree with Tenzin. It would further divide benders and nonbenders, right?"

"If it's handled sloppily, yes. Thinking politically and at face value, this 'task force' is the greatest gift that Tarrlok could give the Equalists right now. 'Look at what the bending oppression would do to stifle us nonbenders' and such. But if he could spin it, and make the Equalists look like exactly the kind of fringe movement that they are, then I don't think the impact would be unmanageable. Maybe...maybe if a nonbender led the group…"

"I don't think Tarrlok would bite on that."

Kuvira shook her head. "No, he wouldn't. But, if you were there, you might be able to quell his more...egotistical tendencies."

Korra nodded, looking down in thought. Finally, she threw up her hands for a second time. "Ugh! Why does it make so much sense when you explain it, but it's absolutely infuriating when Tarrlok does?" she fell back onto the bed, head turning to Kuvira. "What do you think I should do?"

"I'm not going to tell you that."

"Why not?"

"Because if things go more south than the South Pole, I'm not going to be the prick who's responsible."

"...But you'd let me the the prick?"

"Exactly. I can't be sure that you wouldn't back the bus over me, so to speak."

Korra glared initially, but it soon broke into a goofy grin as she laughed. It seemed to release a lot of the tension in the Avatar, as she stood up and stretched. "Okay, I've decided!"

"Really? That fast?"

Korra cringed. "Was I...supposed to think about it more?"

"Well…" Kuvira put a hand on her hip and smirked. "It's never been your style, I suppose. Go on."

xxxXXXxxx

"I'm going to join Tarrlok's task force," Korra put on a brave face in front of the councilman. The others looked surprisingly wary, considering they'd voted for the thing. "I want to help this city, and the Equalists are threatening innocent people. I can't just stand by and watch."

Tarrlok stood, a smile on his face. "Well spoken, Avatar. I couldn't be happier of your decision," he walked over to her. "And I'll make sure we all stay safe."

Kuvira frowned at that. It was such a targeted statement, toward Korra specifically. He knew about her role in the revelation, namely stopping it, and so he knew exactly what she thought of Amon. She decided to speak up on the matter. "That won't be an issue, councilman; I don't intend to stop doing my job because you are around."

Tarrlok finally turned and acknowledged Kuvira. His smile never faded. "I appreciate you devotion, officer, but unfortunately the task force will be comprised of waterbenders only, personally trained by me. You see, it cuts down on doing an audition process and hastens the operations themselves."

"Oh, but Kuvira is really good. She-"

"I'm afraid that's my final word on the matter," Tarrlok held up a hand. "Now then. If possible, I would like every evening that you're available, Avatar Korra. I know you're part of that pro bending team, and-"

"How do you know that?"

"Tenzin is quite the talker sometimes."

"I told you no such thing!" the airbender stood.

"You mumble to yourself, friend," Tarrlok said off-handedly. This was a true statement, so Tenzin couldn't plausibly deny it. He sat back down. "As I was saying, I'm not going to force you to quit, so keep those nights to yourself. The days are yours; I'm still a councilman and I have work to do, though for the first few days I would prefer if you stuck with the force, to build up a rapport. Does this schedule work for you?"

"I…" Korra thought about it. "Y-yeah."

Kuvira closed her eyes, not wanting the others to see them rolling repeatedly. Tarrlok was completely manhandling Korra conversationally. Of course, Kuvira wasn't going to say it, and since Tarrlok effectively wrote her out of the conversation entirely, she didn't really have a good way of getting herself back in. She just had to watch, and it was insufferable.

"Wonderful!" Tarrlok cleared his throat, and put a hand on her shoulder. "And I want you to know that I think you're doing the right thing. I may be a powerful man, but you are the Avatar. I couldn't have done this without you. You have my sincerest gratitude, Avatar Korra."

She didn't even look at him, eyes down and off to the side. She nodded meekly. With that, she and Kuvira exited the chamber so that they could continue their meeting.

xxxXXXxxx

Korra and Kuvira went back to the Air Temple Island until Tarrlok summoned the former to meet the task force. She'd wanted to at least tell Mako and Bolin about the arrangement, but she needed to get her story straight, to where it didn't look like she was abandoning them. Then Tarrlok called, and she had to leave.

Much to Kuvira's chagrin, Korra had asked her to deliver the news in her stead. She hadn't spoken to the other Fire Ferrets since the night of the revelation, and wasn't particularly eager to start fresh, to which Korra called her "insanely petty," which Kuvira didn't deny.

Still, she bit her lip and walked into the gym when she knew they'd be practicing. Neither of them even stopped to look at her, though Bolin seemed to hesitate a bit. He avoided her gaze when she looked at him. Kuvira crossed her arms. "Korra will be missing some practices for the foreseeable future."

At first, they only stopped, still not looking at her. Kuvira heard Mako mutter under his breath, "Why, did you kidnap her?"

"If I wanted to, you wouldn't be hearing about it. She's been asked by Councilman Tarrlok to join a task force dedicated to taking down the Equalists."

"What? Why would she willingly go back to fight those psychos?" Bolin's eyes widened.

Kuvira lowered her own."Because if people like you won't stand up, then someone else will have to."

Bolin recoil at that, and his head lowered again. Mako noticed this, and directed a glare at the officer. "Thanks for the head-up," it sounded like he was forcing every word, as he went to put away his practice uniform. "I've got to get to work. Stay out of trouble, Bo."

"A-alright. I'll...be here, I guess," he called after the firebender, who didn't even acknowledge him. Bolin stood around awkwardly for a moment, and, admittedly, Kuvira was in the same boat. In the end, she decided to take a seat and wait. She was sure that Korra would come after being introduced to the task force, and so Kuvira didn't see the point in returning to Air Temple Island, nor her apartment.

Of course, this meant she had to watch Bolin bend, which was a tragedy in and of itself. It wasn't that he was a bad bender, quite the opposite. With a little work, he could be excellent; as good or better than his brother. He had excellent power and as good of precision as Kuvira, and he was far nimbler than his form would indicate, though not as much as her or Korra (slimmer bodies and all).

Finally, Kuvira stood, but that was as far as she got before he flinched, sensing another roasting. When Kuvira opened her mouth to try and provide guidance the words wouldn't come. Maybe it was that she felt it would be wasted air; she insulted him pretty badly the last time they were around each other, after all.

"Do...do you want some help?" Her question came off more hesitant than she was used to. It almost sounded like how Korra might have breached the topic. To her surprise, Bolin got a bit indignant. He crossed his arms, pouted, and looked away.

"No! You called me gullible!"

Kuvira blinked, and on instinct gave a snarky response. "First, that would be a true statement, and second, I didn't even make it."

He recoiled. "Well...whatever! I thought you wouldn't want to waste your time with a weakling like me."

"True, I did call you weak, but I also said you had potential."

"_Wasted_ potential," Bolin widened his eyes, smirking as he corrected her.

"You're young. You can still grow immensely, with a little help."

"And you want to give it? Who are you to do that?"

Kuvira out a hand on her hip. "I'm the greatest earthbender _and_ metalbender in the world," she said it without even the slightest hint of irony or sarcasm. "Now, do you want my help or not?" Bolin hesitated, but eventually nodded. "Okay," Kuvira went over to him. "From what I've seen your largely mimicking your brother's bending style. It seems to work decently well for earthbending, but you can be much more efficient."

"Just...go easy on me…" Bolin completely resigned himself.

"The thing is that your precision is excellent. Unlike water and firebending, earth doesn't have a limit to continuous attacking. You're doing these short bursts, but if you can find a way to keep up consistent pressure then you wouldn't have to waste as much energy in dodging."

"...okay."

Kuvira earthbent the provided discs to where they would be in the arena, and positioned herself where she thought she should be. "Can you put a dummy near the wall, please?" The boy soon complied. "Now I'm not saying you should copy me; I'm off the ground a lot more than a normal earthbender. But just because you're on the ground and ready to strike doesn't mean that you have to be planted. Watch. Learn to slide on the ground," Kuvira said and used her sudden stop as another earthbender would stomp the ground, to lift up the disc, flicking it, and then sliding the other way and doing the same.

"But...you just said I shouldn't spend as much energy dodging."

"This is just the beginning, Bolin. Now, come on," she gestured for him to join her, which he did. Together they slid along the ground. Bolin was a bit clumsy, but was able to quickly pick up on the technique. "Good. Now, we've gotten down how it feels to stay moving and still having a feel for the earth, we'll focus on staying moving," Kuvira went over the dummy and pushed it away. She then bent two earth discs into the air. "Try and hit me."

"Are...are you serious?"

"I've trained for thirteen years to stay focused even under fire."

"Okay…" he didn't sound too sure about the idea, but took up a stance nonetheless. He dug his heels in like a fool and shot two discs toward her, which she dodged with little effort. Dissatisfied, he threw another three, followed by a delayed fourth, but again, all were avoided. And Kuvira still had hers in the air. This went on for about ten minutes, with Bolin tiring himself out in trying to hit her, to no avail. Actually, that wasn't true; as it went on, she did _almost_ get hit a few times. Bolin clenched his fists in frustration. "Argh! Why can't I hit you?!"

"Because your pressure game is awful, Bolin," Kuvira let down her discs and approached him. "Your defense is already solid; that's not the issue with your bending. Your thinking is unoriginal, linear, and-" suddenly, he shot another disc toward her, which she also avoided, having expected it. "Predictable. You can take the heat but you're awful at dishing it out."

"H...how? Tell me, please," he bowed his head, giving her full respect.

"Well, you only ever aim for my chest, for one," the watcher put a hand on her hip. "Aim for the legs occasionally and that alone will increase your effectiveness. On top of that, your adherence to the boxing style of bending is weighing you down more than helping."

"But Mako said-"

"Mako is a firebender, and has much better reflexes than you. Watch," Kuvira assumed the stance that Bolin usually took, and mimicked the motions he usually made. "If I'm a firebender, when I punch, fire comes out in a shot, right? But for us earthbenders, there's the extra motion of," she exaggerated placing her foot to grab the disc with her bending. "Digging in, along with the punch. That makes you slower by default, and thus easier to deal with. Take this simple motion," she dug her foot in and raised a disc. "And use it to weave directly into the attack instead of preparing to make a motion to attack, and…" she did it slowly. When the disc rose, she brought her back leg forward into a kick, sending the disc flying. "See?"

"...No," he scratched the back of his head, clearly confused.

"...Okay then, we'll try this. When I say go, I'll do what I just did in real-time. You shoot one how you normally would. We'll see who's faster, yes?"

"Alright, sure."

They both took positions. "Ready?" he nodded. "On 'go'. 1, 2, 3, go!" they both did their respective motions, and it wasn't even close. Kuvira's disc beat Bolin by almost a full second, which may not seem like a lot, but in the heat of the moment it was everything. "See? And that's just the beginning. This might sound a bit strange, but spinning might also be a good strategy. I'm not saying to face away from your opponent, but here," Kuvira did a motion to test out her theory, in a variation of her own style. "See, you already step to do the spin, and then you don't even have to wait to," she launched the disc. "Flick it with your arm from the spin, right?"

"...Okay," Bolin still seemed a bit unsure.

"Just...give it a try. Don't be afraid to experiment," she put a hand on his shoulder, just as two guests walked in.

"Guys! You'll _never_ believe who I…" Korra stopped upon entering, saw the situation, and grinned even wider. "Awesome! You're friends now!"

"Don't push it," Kuvira frowned, not wanting her kindness mistaken for something else. Bolin stepped back and cleared his throat.

"So, uh...who'd you bring?"

Korra stepped to the side, and gestured to the doorway. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce the CEO of the renowned Future Industries; Hiroshi Sato!"

An older man came into view. His beard was cut tidily around his mouth, which was curled up into an amicable smile. "Oh, please. There's no need for any formalities, though I believe I wouldn't need an introduction even if there were," he extended his hand to both earthbenders in turn, and went right into how he and Korra met before Kuvira even had to ask. "It was the darndest thing. This young, reckless girl ran right into oncoming traffic as if she had a death wish. Of course, I stopped in time, and I come to find out that this girl is none other than the Avatar! Imagine that!"

"Yeah, imagine…" Kuvira trailed off, finding it a bit suspicious, "So you followed her here?"

"Hardly. She explained that she was in a hurry to get to her pro bending practice, and one thing led to another and I heard of your team's money troubles and, well...you see, it's a funny story, I…" he got a cloudy look in his eyes. "My daughter, Asami, she...loved watching pro bending, despite not being a bender herself. I feel it wouldn't be doing right by her to refuse you a small kindness."

"Yeah, so he's paying our way to the tournament!" Korra jumped up excitedly.

"Uh, I don't know," Bolin rubbed his arm. "Mako is usually the one to make these kinds of decisions."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Ask Mr. Sato to wait patiently while I scoured the city for a random firebender?"

"Well, uh…"

"Relax, Bolin," Kuvira uncrossed her arms, accepting the explanation. "But what's the catch?"

"I see you understand business, officer. All I ask is that you use some...specially made uniforms, with the Future Industries logo on it. No publicity is bad publicity, after all. Especially if you somehow win against those Wombats!"

"Oh, we'll win, so long as I'm on the team," Korra grinned.

Hiroshi chuckled, his laugh hearty and friendly. "Oh, of course. I didn't mean to assume. In any case, if possible, I would like you all to come down to my facilities before you agree to anything. I try to be a man of integrity, and I feel it'd be unfair for you to represent a conglomerate that you have no idea what they're making."

"Sounds awesome! When can we come?"

"How does tomorrow sound? I understand you have a rather tight deadline; best to get it done as early as possible."

"Sound logic," Kuvira put a hand on her hip. "I hope you wouldn't mind if I tagged along, even though I'm not on the team?"

"I wouldn't have it any other way, officer," he bowed his head respectfully. Kuvira felt a pang of pride at that; it was nice that _someone_ showed respect to the authorities.

With that, the middle-aged man took his leave, bidding them a warm farewell.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! Been a while, huh? Well, I recently found my bluetooth tablet keyboard that I can hook up to my phone, and that's small enough that I can bring it to work with me. What this means is that I should be able to get this out a bit faster than before, and with hopefully less mistakes. The one thing is that it randomly holds down a key that I've already let go, so if you see any heyyyyyy shit, that's why.**

**In any case, this is all basically building up to stuff. Basically, we're mostly following the plot up until episode like 10, and then we're going bananas. I'm going to try and take advantage of the time to flesh out the characters. For example, most of the probending stuff is going to be Bolin's jam. The Equalists is...basically everyone else. Also, Asami is fucking iced, in case you didn't pick up on it. She ded**

**Anyway, why don't you shoot me a review? I should have the next chapter out...hopefully by the end of the week. I'm kind of on a rool so, knock on wood, I might have it out within the next few days. We'll see.**


	8. Bang

Once Hiroshi Sato left, the three, or rather Korra and Bolin, practiced until Mako returned. When he did, almost immediately, Korra hopped in front of him, ignoring his obviously weary eyes. "Have I got some good news or what!" she was grinning so wide that she had to close her eyes. "Hiroshi Sato is going to fund our team!"

She proceeded to explain the deal to him as he wound down from his job at a local power plant. Even throughout the explanation, Korra didn't notice the tight expression on Mako's face, or perhaps interpreted it as an extension of his usual resting bitch face. Bolin, however, was all too aware of this. He remained silent throughout, though his form was tense, as if he thought Mako might explode. When the explanation was finished, they all waited with bated breath for his response.

After a moment of silence, likely him trying to process the information through his tired mind, Mako shrugged. "I guess being the Avatar has its advantages, after all," he smiled, stood, and walked over to Korra. "This is...amazing."

She drew in a breath and held it, her cheeks turning red; it nearly made Kuvira gag, though maybe she shouldn't judge considering the idiotic things she did when trying to attract the attention of Bataar Jr back in Zaofu. she was glad she learned from the experience, on an unrelated note, about her preferences.

"Only thing is…" he craned the back of his neck. "I wish you'd told me before I wasted my day…"

"Oh, that's no problem! Just spend it on some dumplings for Bolin!"

"Hey, that's a great idea. Hey, Bo, what do you say we all hit the dumpling shop tonight to celebrate?" he turned to the young earthbender, who actually jumped. "Uh...Bo, what's up?"

Kuvira narrowed her eyes as he timidly said it was nothing. A thought crept to her head. "_Is he scared of how Mako will react? And to what? The news that they'll actually be in the tournament, or maybe that I helped him, even though he knows that Mako and I don't get along?"_

Both ideas seemed ridiculous, but stranger things have turned out true. Just the thought of_ those_ times put Kuvira in a bad mood.

In any case, she was then dragged along to dumplings. They actually changed their plans slightly; they ended up going to a noodle joint that happened to serve dumplings. Not only that, but they seemed to know Bolin. He must've been a regular.

"Oi, Bo!" the young girl behind the counter waved. "The usual spot is open, right there."

"Thanks, Sen," Bolin waved back and took a seat alongside the others. Mako eyed him suspiciously.

"You guys are on a first name basis? When was this?" he thankfully didn't confirm Kuvira's suspicions by sounding annoyed, but rather curious as a brother should be.

Bolin shrugged, sitting next to Kuvira. "Oh, you know…"

Mako glanced over at her again, before turning back and smirking. "She's cute. You think I should ask her out later?"

"Dude! Save some ladies for the rest of us!" Bolin tried to keep his voice down, but it didn't work. Sen, having overheard, got a bit red in the face and disappeared into the back room.

"You sure?" Mako continued, chuckling.

Korra leaned closer, trying to be subtle. Again, it didn't work. "Eh, to be fair, I'm with Bolin on this one, Cool Under Fire," Kuvira rolled her eyes at the nickname; the Avatar had taken it from her. If she wanted to make things awkward for these idiotic teens, all she'd have to do is reveal that fact and send Korra into a cute little blubbering fit as she struggled to come up with something to say. Kuvira smiled at the thought.

"Oh, really?" he smiled at her. He didn't rebuff her advances; looking good, Korra. "Then do you think there's someone in particular I should set my sights on?"

"I, um…" she scooted closer. Bolin and Kuvira exchanged a glance, bolin's annoyed, Kuvira's despondent. "Yeah, I think I have an-"

"Oh, by the good graces of the Spirits, would you two just kiss already!" Bolin exclaimed. Both teens blinked at him before turning to each other, each a shade of red in the face. Then, both leaned in and pecked each other on the lips. "Jeez! You've been dancing around it ever since that one night!"

"So...does this mean we're a thing?" Mako wondered.

"I wa kind of hoping for something more romantic," Korra let out an embarrassed chuckle.

"Yeah well, this is what you get with an annoying little brother."

Bolin scoffed. "Annoying! I speak the truth!"

"Uh huh," Mako looked to see everyone's menu closed, which was code for 'we want food now', and turned to the nearby waiter. "We're ready over here."

The man approached, took their orders, and left, returning with their drinks a bit later.

"Hey what about miss moley over here?" Bolin pointed to Kuvira. She frowned.

"It's called a beauty mark."

"It's called a mole and it's not special; I've got this _huge_ one right above my ankle and-"

"Dude, too much info," Mako shivered, despite this being his own brother that they were talking about.

"I happen to think it look really pretty," Korra smiled . "Vee's, I mean, not Bolin weirdo mountain mole on his foot."

"Point is," the young earthbender got the conversation back on track. "How is it that we're not talking about this chick's love life?"

"Probably because it doesn't exist," Korra snickered, while Mako smirked at the comment, stifling a laugh.

"Very funny, Korra. But like most of the hot air that spews from your face hole, it's incorrect," Kuvira gave a smirk of her own.

"Oh really? Then i think I speak for all of us when I see I'm dying to hear about it," Korra's smile held a hidden motive; she'd purposefully led the watcher into this trap. What was she supposed to do? Refuse? Leave? Back down from this obvious challenge? Not on Kuvira's life.

"I'll have you know that I've attracted plenty of men, some my age, some much too old. I just don't appeal to you _children_ because I look mature."

Korra smirked, having the perfect retort. "Your rack aside, I think the reason you're not attractive is because you don't act cute enough," the comment made Kuvira cross her arms, covering herself up more than she thought necessary. Spirits, but that girl always seemed to know how to make her squirm. trth be told, it was something she was beginning to like about her, considering that very few people had the capacity to do so. Or maybe it was just that she cared enough for Korra to make thee mundane comments have an impact that they wouldn't if, say, Mako had said them. Speaking of the firebender, though…

"You're like two years older than me, tops."

"Not even," Korra chimed in with a grin.

"Also, could you have explained it in a more boring way?" Bolin sipped his drink, a non alcoholic wine. Kuvira rolled her eyes.

"I know. She sounds like Tenzin, giving one of his famous lectures," Korra rolled her eyes right back at her watcher. "And who cares about people who were into you? We want to know about people who you were crushing on."

"Yes, well...there was one boy, a friend back in Zaofu. He was sweet, _very_ smart. It just...didn't work out."

"...That's it?"

"Yes."

"That's not even a story! Where's the drama? Where's the hardship?"

"It was separate from my love life," Kuvira frowned. "It's not as if I go out seeking drama and 'crush' on the first bad boy I lay my eyes on," Kuvira eyed the Avatar, who smiled sheepishly, knowing who she was referring to.

Around that time, they received their food, and from there, the conversation veered in the direction of the quality of it. Kuvira mentally clocked out for the majority of it, taking the time to half-heartedly scan for potential enemies (that's the cop part of her), and thinking a bit on the prior conversation.

The boy she'd had a crush on was obviously Bataar Jr., and what she's said about him was the truth, just not all of it. She left out that he had a massive inferiority complex, largely because of his father. His father was also a kind man, just self-absorbed with his inventions. This didn't a lot of room for his son to grow, who was equally, if not more, innovative, though less experienced.

Kuvira had wanted to nurture his talent more than anything, and if that sounds like a terrible basis for an attraction, and worse a relationship, then it might be understandable as to why it didn't end up working out. Well that, and, when they were first going to have sex (yes, when she was fourteen. Sue her), she realized that she wasn't nearly as into it as she assumed she would. It wasn't anything the boy did; Spirits know they were both bumbling idiots in the bedroom. No, that wasn't the problem. Rather, Kuvira just didn't find it very...stimulating. At the time, she assumed it _was_ because Bataar just wasn't good in the bedroom. She assumed it was just that he wasn't right for her. Just ahead two years. Kuvira met a young woman named Lena who was a year older than her in a bar that he partner at the time took her to. One thing led to another, and they ended up at this woman's apartment, and sure enough it escalated into sex, and it was absolutely wonderful. It was everything that Kuvira wanted it to be like with Bataar.

Still, at the time (rather, the next morning, as she wanted to die from being incredibly hungover), she assumed the feeling was mostly her intoxication. Things didn't and up working out with Lena, but a few months later she met another girl, this time a few months younger than her, and she tried again. She successful got the girl into the bedroom and did it, and the feeling was the same; pure euphoria.

Just to tie up loose ends (Kuvira was always one for thoroughness, in more ways than one), she eventually found a man to have sex with, and sure enough it was just like with Bataar. While Kuvira would readily admit that the testing pool was lacking, she also wasn't a scientist. Thus, it was more than enough proof that she was a lesbian, through and through.

The fact scared her at first. She was still playing the idiot at the time, and so didn't exactly know how to react, nor how others would. eventually, though, she started to see it as a blessing. All of those horny older men? They were her playthings. They wanted to get into her pants? Well, she could toy with them and then crush the in every way she knew, to teach them a lesson. Younger boys, innocent but super blush-y? She could use the opportunity to help them understand their feelings, and help them in potentially attracting someone who cared how long their sword was.

It even helped her in investigations, for as often as a lowly beat cop like her actually did them (and when her partner was too tired to argue against it). Some guy was suspected of doing something shady? Kuvira became quite good at playing the innocent, meek damsel type; the kind that men found attractive for a reason that eluded her. All she had to do was doll herself up a bit, track him down, and bat her eyes. Then, he was all hers.

Her reflections lasted well into the night, far after she and Korra returned to Air Temple Island. There, she laid alone in bed, now feeling a bit nostalgic. She sighed, hand unconsciously lowering to her waist. She caught herself then, right as her fingertips slipped under the top of her pants. Then, as she thought about it, she decided that no harm would come. She would just do this before going to sleep, thinking about whatever. "_At that point, you might as well call up Lena, see what she's up to,"_ she thought numbly, hand reaching down to caress between her thighs.

Her thoughts wandered to her previous partners, even the men. men had a certain edge to them that Kuvira was still drawn to. She imagined it was the same thing guys felt when they saw another good-looking guys; an admiration. It might have been weird to think about it that way, doing what she was, but she, for once, didn't want to control her thoughts. A soft, she made sure it was soft, moan escaped her lips as her hand moved a bit up, thoughts going to her female partners. Lena and the younger girl in particular, just because she'd been thinking about them earlier that night. Then, for a terrifying moment, Korra entered her head. Kuvira didn't know when she caught herself, but once she did her hand shot out of her pants and out into open air.

Kuvira was breathing rather hard, considering what she was doing and for the pitiful amount of time it lasted. She _had_ to stop, however. She shook her head. She _can't_ be thinking of Korra in that manner. It wasn't proper.

With that justification, that unsatisfying thought, Kuvira turned over in her bed and pulled the sheet over her head, as if trying to hide away from the shame. Long story short, it didn't work, and she found herself taking a long time to fall into even a restless sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

The four met up at the pro bending arena the next day, and hitched a ride in a taxi to the Sato residence within the city, where Hiroshi had a expensive-looking car waiting for them. He apparently was already at the site, getting things ready for the Avatar's appearance. Kuvira thought it was a little rude that he didn't show them around his mansion, but let it slide. It wasn't necessarily disrespectful, just a little odd that they had to stop at the house but weren't allowed in.

Once they actually made it to the plant, Hiroshi met them at the entrance. He held that same fatherly smile. "Ah, welcome! It's so good to see you all!" he shook each of their hands in turn. "I have just a brief tour for you all. Then, you're free to look around at some inventions I've patented recently. Unfortunately, for safety reasons, you won't be allowed to actually go into the working areas."

"That's no issue, sir," Mako bowed his head respectfully.

"Please, the formalities aren't necessary here. At Future Industries, we're all one big happy family. What's your name, son?"

"It's, uh...Mako."

"Mako, hm? You look like a man with a good head on your shoulders."

"Oh, no, I'm, uh…" Mako was completely at a loss for words. Hiroshi put a hand on his shoulder.

"The Avatar told me all about you and your team's woes; to have so much talent...it would be at least a mild shame to see it go to waste. for some, like myself, it would be a much greater waste. No one with a vision such as yours should be stifled due to monetary troubles. You have my full support."

"I...thank you, sir!" Mako bowed again, before catching himself and clearing his throat. "I mean, Mr. Sato."

"Hiroshi will do fine, son," Hirosi turned to the plant. "Now then, please come with me."

Hiroshi led them through a few hallways and up to a balcony overlooking some slaves, erm, employees of Future Industries, as they toiled in building the latest model of Satomobile. There must've been at least a thousand people building dozens of vehicles. Hiroshi spouted something like, 'my employees and I work hard to ensure a full spectrum of features, and we always put safety first for both builder and driver,' but Kuvira didn't buy much of it. Rather, she didn't care enough to think about it compared to the competition to agree or disagree. She was never one for business.

Regardless, nothing suspicious was occuring within plain sight, which was a good start for the Fire Ferrets agreeing to the deal (though, this tour was more of a formality than anything anyway). Eventually, the tour ended. Hiroshi took them to an offshoot of the building, where there were several rooms with dozens of tables. Each table had a different display for an invention.

"Feel free to look around and play with things; only ten percent of them are dangerous, I assure you," Hiroshi chuckled, saying it in a tongue-in-cheek manner. "When you have an answer, I will be back on the balcony overlooking the factory, and if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask."

The pro benders bowed as he left. Kuvira didn't, making her way to a nearby chair to rest. From there, the benders each went their separate ways, even Korra and Mako, who Kuvira would've expected to be all over each other. But in this instance, their curiosities for the inventions overpowered the attraction between them. Mako and Bolin disappeared into the room adjacent to the one where they'd entered, while Korra walked around wistfully, inspecting each invention, likely with little understanding of how it worked.

Kuvira probably should've been keeping watch outside; she had no interest in these things, and would likely just be a distraction, not to mention she could probably do a better job in guarding Korra from beyond the entrance, since the threat of attack via window was negligible on account of how there weren't any. Still, she stayed.

She kept her eyes on the young Avatar, and tried her best not to think about the prior night. Korra was physically attractive, yes, but far too immature for Kuvira's tastes. "_If you don't make a move soon, she might become _just_ a friend, or pupil,_" she thought absentmindedly, shaking her head after she did. Who said anything about the possibility of them getting together? It wasn't even an option!

"Hey, look at this thing!" Korra picked up a metal object that fit comfortably in one hand, though Korra held it in two. "It says it's a-"

"It's a gun, Korra," Kuvira said, happy to have found something to distract her. "Mr. Sato tried convincing Chief Beifong to adopt them in the force, but she didn't see the need. Rumor has it that he's going to try convincing the Fire Nation to take it, but they probably won't bite either. Fire Lord Izumi is trying really hard to hide the fact that they have the largest military, and taking this would be a blatant power grab."

"Oh...so, how does it work?" Korra waved it around carelessly. Kuvira tried to think back to the presentation Hiroshi gave.

"You point the end at something, pull the trigger, and it will fire a little metal thing called a bullet," Kuvira sat back. Korra pointed it in front of her, aiming almost perpendicular to Kuvira.

"So, like this?"

"Yes, but Korra, you need to be-"

Suddenly, she turned to Kuvira. "Ba- gah!" she pulled the trigger, and the watcher heard something whiz past her ear. Both women jumped and cried out audibly. Korra stood frozen as Kuvira looked back to the smoking hole left in the wall from the shot; the Avatar had missed by about an inch. She glared at Korra, who started laughing sheepishly, before awkwardly putting the gun down when it was supposed to go. Then, she made a similar form with her hands; a finger gun, and aimed it at Kuvira. "Here, let me try again. Bang!" Kuvira bet it was an unconsciously act, but Korra still couldn't have done that motion any more seductively. Not only did her hips sway as she raised her hands, but she winked as well. Kuvira did her best to maintain her glare, but she felt heat rise to her cheeks. The gesture was too cute.

"I despise you," for starting that damn conversation last night. Kuvira hoped that this was just her being extremely horny, given that she hadn't had any in almost half a year. Either that, or something that would fade in a few days. She wanted to test the former theory soon.

Korra giggled, before exiting the room and leaving Kuvira to her thoughts.

Time passed, Kuvira didn't know how long, before the pro benders were satisfied. They returned to Hiroshi with an overwhelming 'yes' to his deal, and it was official once Mako shook on it. "Alright," Mako and the others exited the plant. "Time for practice."

Korra looked disappointed. "Uh, actually, I…uh...Tarrlok is planning to, um…"

"Oh, yeah, sure," Mako craned the back of his neck in an awkward manner, trying to play it off.

"Sorry."

"It's not problem. Me and Bo can work some stuff out."

Korra got an idea. "Hey, maybe Kuvira can-" she was likely about to suggest she go with them to help them practice.

"Sorry, but I'm _your_ watcher, Korra," Kuvira put a hand on her hip. "And besides...I have some business to take care of tonight. Apologies for the late notice."

"Oh, it's...no problem," Korra shifted on her feet. "Are you...mad again? Maybe about earlier?"

"_You mean when you almost shot me?"_ Kuvira inwardly smiled. "No, I'm not mad. It's just some personal business. I'll be back to the island tomorrow."

"You sure?" Kuvira nodded at the question. The avatar then turned ot Mako. "Okay then, I guess this is where we part ways," the two pecked each other on the lips.

"Alright. Be safe; nothing crazy," he smiled.

"You know it," she said it a bit sarcastically, but pecked him again and left for the Republic Council's office. Soon, the bending brothers left for the arena, leaving Kuvira alone.

Truth was, she didn't actually have personal business, in the strict sense. It wasn't as if she was planning on meeting anyone in particular, though she eventually ran into the person she wanted to see.

She ended up going to the same bar that she'd met Lena in. She didn't go to get drunk, perse; she wasn't nearly desperate or saddened enough by her lack of action to _want_ to get drunk. Kuvira just figured that she might run into Lena. If she did, she'd be very subtle in suggesting they try something, just a one-night thing to satisfy both of them (assuming Lena was single) before parting ways again. If she didn't, she would at least have had a decent drink and would be able to move on in the morning, too distracted by a hangover to be horny. At least, that was the hope.

Well, sure enough Lena was there, though by then Kuvira had already had a few drinks. The circumstances were eerily similar to when they first met, only Kuvira wasn't with her partner and wasn't in uniform. But she saw the woman's short-cut brown hair, distinctly wavy despite its length, and she approached her. Unfortunately, she stumbled and collapsed onto the bar, looking like far more of a worthless heap than she felt. The older woman smiled at Kuvira.

"You're still a lightweight, I see," she had a husky voice, like...Korra.

Kuvira picked herself back up. "I am not…"

Lena swished her sake around in her cup. "...You still on the force? You said you were going to quit if I broke it off."

"I was...being melodramatic...and was probably drunk then, too."

Lena shrugged. "So, the usual."

"I'm not an alcoholic," Kuvira took the wrong thing from Lena's claim. "I might be, if the hangover wasn't terrible."

"You're the only person I know that can have as bad a hangover, whether they have one drink or fifty, though, you barely make it to four before passing out, lightweight."

"..." Kuvira pouted; Spirits, but she acted a child when she drank too much. She needed to change the subject, get the conversation back into her control. She needed to feel in control again. "...Are you still dancing?"

That was what they'd initially bonded over. Given that dancing was a naturally intimate practice, it perhaps wasn't surprising that they eventually hooked up. Lena shrugged.

"What does that mean?"

"It means 'no'," Lena leaned down. "Satomobile accident is what I'll say," she rolled up her pant sleeves, revealing her left ankle bent at an awkward angle; it was just slightly off, just enough to prevent coordination. "It was actually because I pissed off a Triple Threat. Bastard couldn't take a rejection."

"Well, I'll go arrest them!"

"They're already in custody, Kuv," Lena giggled. "The Equalists took care of that."

"Illegally."

"Fairly."

The two were quiet for a time. In case it wasn't clear; Lena was a nonbender.

Finally, Kuvira turned to the older woman. She opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated; she needed to be _very_ careful with her next words. She had to say them with the utmost tact and sincerity. She spoke.

"You...you wanna fuck, or what?"

Lena said yes, and the next day they parted ways, never to see each other again.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**So I feel the need to explain myself with this one lol**

**This chapter was largely improvised. I know I wanted a scene where Korra almost shoots Kuvira (don't ask me why), and it fit well into establishing Hiroshi Sato's introduction, but beyond that I wad flying by the seat of my pants. All things considered, I think it turned out well. If you know me, you'll know I have very few boundaries as to what I'll put in my work save shit like rape, abortion, pedophiles, and other stuff along those lines, just because I'm not interested in the shitstorm that would come from using them ever.**

**That said, I was originally planning to jump right into Korra's first mission like what they did in the actual show. But no, I needed a scene where Kuvira fingers herself. I have no regrets, and it's not like everyone doesn't do it (unless you're in a satisfying relationship, he says as he goes to a corner to cry lol). Also, no, I'm keeping it T rated. You can handle this; this isn't that intense. You'll be fine.**

**When I write relationships, platonic or romantic, I try not to shy away from the sexual aspect, which is why this chapter was focused so much on it. That's why when I wrote Percy Jackson, I wrote a chapter where Cupid made Piper and Luke really fucking horny and they became friends with benefits. I find it extremely interesting to see what people will do when put under an intense weight, whether that be responsibility or a code that they follow, or them being really fucking horny and having to deal with it. I think it makes them much more human, but that might just be me being weird.**

**In any case, next time will focus more on Tarrlok's task force, so we're getting back to the action. I'll see you then!**


	9. Exhaustion

Korra already didn't like this task force. The people were...whatever, kind of generic. they were obviously only loyal to Tarrlok, rather than the cause of taking down the Equalists, but whatever. So long as they helped. Tarrlok himself ruled with an iron fist, which while annoying, was bearable. After all, he was a good leader; he knew what he was doing and helped execute the plans he came up with.

Still, the actual plans themselves were...shady. They wore all black, to hide themselves in the nighttime city, but Korra didn't see the point. They were on the side of the law, right? Couldn't they just barge in and arrest them, dressed normally? As well, the plan wasn't even to arrest them; Tarrlok wanted to rough them up first, show them what it means to cross the law.

To do this, they drove around in two trucks with tanks in the back, filled with water; this was an all-waterbender group, as Tarrlok was quick to point out. Korra, despite her reservations, played along.

They'd hit a few locations already, to no avail. This time, however, the Equalists weren't being very subtle. They were in a basement in an apartment building, but there were small windows to the ground floor i.e. outside, where Tarrlok and Korra could see them training new chi blockers. Just to spit Tarrlok, Korra wanted to argue against attacking them; being a chi blocker wasn't a crime in and of itself, after all.

But alas, there were men in Equalist garb, meaning that it was inevitable. Tarrlok gave the some silent motions, and they went to work. With their waterbending, they could flush them all out literally, and then arrest them before they have the chance to fight back. With the element of surprise, there was nothing that could go wrong, and so that's exactly what they did.

In a coordinated motion, the waterbenders pulled a huge amount of water and, on Tarrlok's signal, thy let it loose through the windows. Korra heard their cries before they were caught under the wave, all too clearly.

The next few moments passed by in a blur. Normally, during a combat, Korra felt her head clear away clutter, almost like she only saw clearly when she was fighting. But here, she got no such clarity, and in fact the chaos of the actual assault made things worse. Still, it was over quickly.

When all was said and done, within thirty minutes, the task force had cameras and reporters flashing and crying out for a statement, as Korra, Tarrlok, and the task force posed for the headline in front of the captured Equalists. Tarrlok held an especially proud posture. Again, a blur later and the task force was let go for the night, with Korra being the last to leave, alongside Tarrlok.

He smiled amiably enough, though his confidence, borderline arrogance, persisted in his tone. "Ah, I would call tonight a success. It turns out that you were just what my men needed to get into gear."

"You mean you had this force before?"

"A man doesn't gather fifteen waterbending masters in two days, Korra," he chuckled. In that casem, she assumed he meant in their training.

"Wll, I'm glad I could be of help, councilman."

"As am I. I was a bit worried about you, Avatar Korra, being so young and inexperienced, but you passed with flying colors in my book. Ah, the things we'll be able to accomplish! I can rest easy knowing you're on our side."

Korra nodded. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it just as quickly.

"You look like you have something that you want to say?"

"It's just...I don't...this doesn't feel right to me. This kind of blatant attacking is just going to divide the population even more, right? Shouldn't we try to appease the Equalists and assimilate them?" Korra was surprised at herself, not only for the big adult words she used, but for the strength of her argument. Unfortunately, Tarrlok was an expert, and crush them into bits within mere moments.

"I understand your concern, Avatar Korra. But I assure you that this was a last resort. These Equalists kidnapped your friend, didn't they? What was his offense?" Korra didn't have an answer for that. "We have tried to reach out to them, but they've refused our counsel. They brought this on themselves.," another silence from the Avatar. Tarrlok smiled. "Perhaps this will lighten your mood; I'm currently working on special legislation that puts an emphasis on reforming criminals rather than simply detaining them. With any luck, those allied with the Equalists will be back to normal in no time. And with more luck still, you might be able to go back to your normal life; i can tell this is going to be a large toll on you. Are you sure you can continue?"

"I…" Korra hesitated. Truthfully, she didn't want to continue. All it took was to see the shards of glass in the Equalists' faces to discourage her from this method of attack. She was all for equality between benders and nonbender, and she was all for stopping these cultists who'd pervert those ideas into petty terrorism. "_Then why don't you just say so?"_ she found herself asking in her head. If she really did feel that way, then there wasn't any reason _not_ to continue with Tarrlok. She nodded. "I'll be fine," she bowed her head. "but thank you for your concern."

"Yes well, an exhausted Avatar can't very well save the world, now can she? But if you insist, then I'll be glad to keep you on. Tomorrow night, then?"

"Of course ," he turned to leave at her acknowledgement. "And Tarrlok…" he turned back. "Thanks for explaining things. It makes me hate you a bit less."

The waterbender didn't seem offended at that; in fact, he chuckled. He saluted her farewell, and took his leave. Korra returned to Air Temple Island alone.

xxxXXXxxx

That was the way the next few days played out. In the morning, Korra would go to the arena and practice her pro bending with Mako and Bolin, and then she would returned to Air Temple Island for training. Come nightfall, she would report to Tarrlok and they would take out one or more Equalist centers, whether they were gathering supplies or training chi blockers.

The methods of how they actually arrested them had softened upon Korra's suggestion, but she still thought it was a bit too...forceful, and that's coming from her. But even though she felt that, she tolerated it because she knew she was doing good. And in fact, she found herself becoming increasingly advocating toward attacking a larger target.

These small operations were one thing, but they could be easily replaced by the Equalists. Take down some huge, key point, and then suddenly they'd be on the defensive, which is right where Tarrlok, and Korra, wanted them. Alas, Tarrlok disagreed.

"It's an idea worth considering, and I have. For any suspected places of the scale you're suggesting, we haven't found enough reason for suspicion for Chief Beifong to give us a warrant. And even if she had, we don't have the manpower to pull off something that big without a lot of preparation. If it's going to happen, it will take more time."

Korra was also beginning to like Tarrlok more and more. Beneath the snide and arrogant veneer there was a man who truly cared about Republic City. He was eloquent, quick-thinking, and a natural leader. His personality was all kinds of awful, but then Korra wasn't trying to become his friend. So long as they could work together, she could be satisfied with the partnership.

With all of that said, however, the councilman's guess that the triple duty would take a toll on her was quickly becoming reality.

She trudged into morning practice with a few big yawns and twenty minutes late; a new record from fifteen minutes the day before. "You came!" Bolin grinned as she and Kuvira entered.

The watcher herself seemed refreshed, somehow. Korra didn't know what she did, but she seemed much more pleasant lately, or perhaps more patient would be the right word. Thankfully, Kuvira knew when she was getting testy, and usually withdrew herself from the situation before it escalated (the notable exception being her outburst to Mako on the night of the revelation). The times where she had to were becoming more and more infrequent, which was a good thing.

Korra tried offering a smile at the younger bending brother. "Good morning," she yawned again as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Hey, Korra," Mako walked up and kissed her. "I was wondering if we could talk?"

"Here?" Korra didn't realize the rudeness of that question, especially with how loudly she said it.

"Sure, why not?" Mako shrugged. "It's just that I found this awesome shopping district and I was thinking...you know, maybe we should head there after practice?"

Korra wanted so badly to agree, but something didn't feel right about it. She had enough on her plate as it was. "...Sorry, Mako, I'm...really tired…"

"Yeah, you look it," he nodded. Korra didn't particularly like how casual he took the obvious rejection. "What? Is something wrong?"

"...Four days and no dates and we're already at a roadblock...I'm a terrible girlfriend…" Korra's shoulders dropped. Mako offered a consoling hug.

"Hey, it's fine. You've got more important things to worry about; it's cool with me. I just...wish there was more I could do to help, you know?" Korra nodded, closing her eyes, almost able to fall asleep with her head on his chest. "And besides, getting Mr. Sato to sponsor us for the tournament is probably worth, like, at least six dates at a minimum. It's no big deal."

"Mm...thanks…"

The two stood there for a moment; Korra nearly feel asleep, so she wasn't exactly sure about how long. She figured Bolin was making some kind of gagging gesture, and she would bet that Kuvira was just staring at them with her usual judgemental (but not actually) look. She always _looked_ like she was judging someone, but if she was, she never indicated it otherwise.

"Tell you what," Mako gently lifted her off of him. "Fire Ferrets, practice is cancelled for today."

"What?" Bolin seemed disappointed. "But the tournament starts in two days."

"And it's going to go horribly if our waterbender passes out in the middle of the match. Besides, we need some rest too, don't you think?" Mako shrugged.

Bolin lowered his eyes. "You're just skipping out to go on that date, aren't you?"

"Careful, he's learning," Mako grabbed Korra's hand. "Want to come with? It'll be relaxing, I promise."

Korra smiled; she could probably handle either practice _or_ a date. It was doing both that would've been impossible. As it was, she didn't know how she was going to get through meditation later that day. This would be good for her. With that thought in her head, Korra accepted the hand and let herself be led away into the city.

The date itself was probably below average, by Mako's standards. Korra tried her best to be fun and spunky, as she normally was, but Spirits she was just so tired. She found herself spacing out a lot, not through any fault of Mako's. He caught on quickly, and gently prodded her into things, rather than forcing them or expecting her to jump at something. In the end, they went to the shop where Mako bought her a cute penguin bracelet and then they went to the park.

That was the first place she ran into the Equalists, with that one obnoxious protester. Now, though, it was peaceful and quiet; just what Korra needed right. Mako took them to a shady spot under the trees. It was almost entirely surrounded by bushes, shielding them from most of the passersby. There, after a few moments of conversation, Korra found her head resting on his shoulder, eyes closed. Soon, she was sound asleep.

xxxXXXxxx

Kuvira ignored the stares of the ogling men as she walked into the police station to give her weekly report. She was very good at it, even when they looked to want to approach her. They knew they had to be careful, for fear of Beifong's wrath.

Speaking of, the Chief walked out of her office right as Kuvira walked into the adjoining room. "Chief," Kuvira saluted her. the woman nodded, eyes tired from an already long day.

"What are you doing her? Where's the Avatar?"

"I came to give my weekly report," the watcher fug the necessary paper from her desk, avoiding the second question, as then the only excuse she'd have was that Korra was on a date. "Pardon my asking, but are these really necessary?"

"They never have been. They've been _helpful_," Beifong was particular about her words. "How are you liking this assignment? Better than the beat?"

"Just barely," Kuvira fought back a smile at her comment. "How is your work going?"

These kinds of back-and-forth questioning was common for the two women; in many ways they were cut from the same cloth. Beifong didn't know where Kuvira was from; she just knew that she'd had a rough past, and that she ran away from home. Hearing that, Beifong began being more conscientious of Kuvira. "_I wonder why…_" Kuvira thought, knowing the exact reason.

Beifong sighed at the watcher's question. "Not well, I'm afraid. Tarrlok has taken policing power from us with his little task force; that man needs to learn his place, if you ask me."

"Have you brought this up with him?"

"Of course I have, but far be it from him to bring it up to the others, who might actually agree with me," Beifong sighed. "I shouldn't be telling you this."

"It's fine. My lips are sealed."

"They'd better be, officer. Are you done with your report?"

"Just finished, actually."

"Good, come with me."

Turns out that the woman wanted to rant more, and she didn't have a pet to rant to when she went back to her apartment. Kuvira was the next best thing, when taking their strange relationship into consideration.

They sat in a bar, with Kuvira electing to skip the drinks this time. She'd had her fun. "That bastard…" Beifong downed her first glass of sake. "Who does he think he is?"

"A city councilman with authority over you," Kuvira swished around her glass of water. "...But isn't it good to have someone dedicated to taking down the Equalists?"

"Of course, but if he wanted that done he should've come to me."

"It sounds as if you've got a lot on your plate already. Maybe this is for the best; let him work the night shifts and-"

"And let me deal with the _mountain_ of paperwork the next morning. Brilliant strategy," Beifong waved it off. "...I honestly don't know what the big deal is, with these Equalists. Yes, they committed crimes and they should be arrested, but the fervor that that man is going after them with is...unsettling."

Kuvira considered the statement. "...It almost seems like he's going after them for political reasons. As in that he doesn't like his position of power being questions, and wants to stifle anyone and everyone who disagrees with it."

"...That's a pessimistic view, kid."

"I'm a pessimistic person," Kuvira took a sip of water. "So...what do you actually think of the Equalists?"

"They're a bunch of whining children as far as I'm concerned," Beifong waved it off. "Acting as if the world is only hard for nonbenders...if I could tell that Amon one thing, it would be this; benders aren't better off. They don't make fewer mistakes in their lives and go through less hardships. They just go through different ones."

"..."

"People would say I'm pretty well off, wouldn't they?"

"They might use that fact to belittle your views, yes," Kuvira cut straight to answering the inevitable follow-up question.

"...My mother, Toph Beifong, was hardly even a mother. So busy with her work, so focused on the city, that she barely even looked at me. I guarantee that a non-bender has the same story, and let me tell you; being able to move rocks with my mind didn't help me get through that."

"I...went through something similar. I learned to move past it."

"Then I'd say you're already better off than me, kid," Beifong sighed. "Or maybe...you're running from it, like I am."

"..."

"...Leave. I've taken up enough of your time. And I want to _enjoy_ my night off."

Kuvira obliged the woman's demand, and returned to Air Temple Island, thoughts drifting to her time at Zaofu. She'd been running alright; running just fast enough to keep ahead of the demons from her past.

xxxXXXxxx

Korra did her best to keep moving after her nap, which she profusely apologized for to Mako once she woke up. What kind of girlfriend naps on the first date? Spirits, but she was glad he was understanding. Well, if he wasn't she probably wouldn't be with him, but still.

She already would've been an hour late to meditation, so she decided to skip it. It wasn't as if she slacked off, though. She was in the outer courtyard, the one overlooking the bay, past the , she mimicked the motions that Tenzin had taught her, circling back and forth, facing down an invisible opponent. Sometimes, she imagined Amon in front of her, and she would always mess up when it happened. Something about him just...unsettled her. It was probably the mask he wore...or maybe it was that she knew what he looked like underneath. Either way, his emotions were locked away from sight, whether the mask was literal or not.

Tenzin approached; she heard his footsteps just as he got to the few stairs to the courtyard. The Avatar tried not to look at him; she knew that he was expecting her and that she willingly chose not to show up. Truthfully, she didn't want to deal with his reprimanding. To her surprise, it didn't come. Instead he only prodded a bit.

"I didn't see you at meditation today," his tone was reserved, nonjudgmental. "Did something come up?"

"...No, I just...I would've fallen asleep if I went," Korra changed directions, continuing her practice. Even then, and even after her nap, her eyes drooped.

"Korra...I understand you've set yourself up with a full plate. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, why?"

"You just seem...off, is all."

Korra stopped her exercise, standing up straight. She took a deep breath. "I just have a lot on my mind right now. I'll get better."

"I've no doubt, but perhaps it would be easier if you talked about it," Tenzin sat on the steps, gesturing for Korra to sit beside him. She obliged. "Tell me, if you want. I'm always here to listen."

"..." she turned away, embarrassed. The airbending master then tried a different approach.

"How is your probending coming along? Any good matches recently?"

"Just preparing for the tournament…"

"I see. Hm," Tenzin stroked his beard. "You know, when my father first began teaching me airbending, and the full weight of what it entails finally dawned on me, I started working myself half to death. I swear, I hardly slept at all for about four months straight in studying scrolls and practicing forms and meditating, day in and day out. Finally, it got to a point where I just...couldn't do it anymore. I collapsed during a demonstration that my father arranged for our family; I had to be nursed back to health for three days, during which time my father went out on a dangerous mission. One that I could've helped with, had I been able," Tenzin sighed. "The point is...you said that you wanted to be treated like a human being, not just as a legend or some such. Well, no matter the importance of your destiny, you need to treat yourself like you're human too."

"But I'm the _Avatar_! The city needs me."

"I couldn't agree more, but on the other hand, I fear that if you keep this up then you'll fail them when they need you the most."

"If you really thought that, you'd postpone my airbending training until after I've dealt with the Equalists," she said it a bit more forcefully than she was intending, shocking the older man. She turned away again, this time out of shame. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"

"It's quite alright," he held up a hand, stopping her. "You must understand, I _do_ wish you the best, but-"

"But I remind you that you're dad is dead," Korra said that part unflinchingly. She was all too aware of the implications of her existence, all too _painfully_ aware. There wasn't a day gone by that she didn't think of Tenzin's or Katara's wounded faces upon seeing her. Of course, both were so quick to cover it up, but Korra was also quick to pick up on things. The only people she knew before coming to Republic City that _didn't_ have that look were her parents. Spirits, but she missed them sometimes; they only got to see each other every now and then due to her father's leadership of the Southern Water Tribe. She wished she could take a vacation to see them...maybe after the whole Equalist thing blew by…

"...That's right," Tenzin grew quiet.

"...I get it. You don't need to pretend to like me."

"I'm not pretending, Korra."

"..."

The airbender stood. "Yes, you do remind me that my father is no longer with us. But what I've come to realize is that you're more than that. You're a blank slate, ready to be molded into something incredible, and more than that; you are my father's hopes and dreams, and I'd sooner perish myself than allow them to waste away."

"..."

"You remain doubtful," he knelt down to face her as she nodded. "Every journey has an end, Korra. None of us can change that. I just...I hope yours ends well; that's all I can do. But you have the power to make it so," he put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Please, consider who you are, where you belong, and where you need to be. I leave the rest to you, and I'm always here if you want to talk. Okay?"

She nodded, though half-heartedly. It wasn't as if his words weren't moving. It was probably her exhaustion mixed with stress that kept her in a despondent state. Still, Tenzin accepted the response, and left her with a lot to think about.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys!**

**So, part of me wanted to get the entirety of the 'Voice in the Night' episode into this chapter, but I ultimately decided against it. The main reason is that I've found myself frequently trying to cram in as many events into one chapter as possible, when I could've split them up and allowed for better flow (this is mostly in my book, not here). So, I wanted to slow down a bit and get a nice character-focused chapter that doesn't revolve around Kuvira and doesn't have any major developments plot-wise. I know I accomplished this with three conversations, but they're just how I'm comfortable with conveying it.**

**In any case, next time with be the rest of the "Voice in the Night", and it will hopefully be out by the end of the week...or not. Sorry, I've been playing the hell out of Sekiro and my writing driver has malfunctioned because of it. The only downloadable replacement is for my own book as well, so...thing smight be slow-going for a while.**

**But whatever, blah blah I'm a review whore blah blah please inflate my ego more blah blah. Sayonara!**


	10. So Long As This City Burns

Once Kuvira made it back to Air Temple Island a few hours later than she wanted to. True, she came back after her impromptu meeting with Chief Beifong, but she spent a long time thinking about Zaofu before she truly made it back. That is to say, she beelined it to her room and danced for three hours before actually going out to the island proper, where her job awaited.

Korra was practicing her meditation in the courtyard, and it was nearing dinner. Thus, Kuvira figured it would be good to get her The earthbender approached the young Avatar, tapped her leg lightly with her foot. Korra opened her eyes. "Dinner time."

"You're sweaty," were Korra's first words to her.

"Gck!" she recoiled. "Well, uh…"

Korra stood. "You seem like you've been dancing more lately. Any reason?"

Kuvira cleared her throat. "I, uh...I've just felt more in the mood, is all," she quickly changed the subject. "Meanwhile, you've been completely out of it for the past few days. And I know exactly why."

"I can't quit the task force, Vee. Or the Fire Ferrets, and I _know_ I can't just stop learning how to airbend."

"Well, you can't keep going like you are. I have a feeling you've realized this?"

She turned away. "You don't know what I'm…" she didn't even finish her thought, knowing how ridiculous it was. Kuvira knew Korra perhaps better than anyone she was currently associating with. "A-and anyway, weren't you the one who convinced you to do the task force in the first place?"

"I was, but then, I'm not perfect. All I can do is give you some advice and let you do the rest."

Korra glared. "You know, believe it or not, your sagely advice isn't always wanted. Sometimes I want to make my own decisions!"

"..." Kuvira met Korra' scowl with her own. "...This isn't going to escalate any further."

Korra blinked, not expecting that response. She seemed to take a mental step back, realizing that, if they'd gone on, they would've started actually fighting., like that first day. Neither of them wanted that.

"I...can be preachy, I admit," Kuvira put a hand on her hip. "Just as you have a tendency to snap when you feel overwhelmed."

"I-I don't…" Korra sighed. "I just...I need to handle this on my own."

"Then I_ advise_ that you do so, and quickly. My guess is that you'll burn out by next week otherwise."

How Korra took that advice...was not what Kuvira had in mind.

After that pseudo-argument, the two went about their night as normal. Kuvira didn't expect any developments until a bit later, but was surprised when the next morning, not having found Korra on the island, she suddenly heard a broadcast on the radio in her room. She'd been planning on heading to the arena, figuring that that was where Korra went, as per her schedule, but no.

Korra had gone straight to city hall to talk to Tarrlok, who then held a press conference.

"Hello, Republic City," her voice came on. It had a hint of nervousness in it, but she sounded determined nonetheless. "My name is Korra. I am your new Avatar. I don't know if any of you knew that I was in the city, but I am, and I want to help. The Equalists present a clear and present danger to both benders and nonbenders, and they need to be stopped. This doesn't mean I want to put down nonbenders. Actually, I want the opposite. but the Equalists aren't the answer to your problems. They're putting innocent people in danger and that's unacceptable."

A few questions came through, from what must've been a group of reporters in the area. "If you feel that way, why haven't you appeared sooner?"

"What step are you taking to stop Amon?"

"What are you planning to do about the inequality between benders and nonbenders?"

"..." Korra didn't answer them for a moment, likely having to formulate her thoughts. It must've been hard, as the repeat questions didn't ever stop. Finally, she spoke. "I'm not going to lie to you all. I don't have a long-term plan for equality. I know that isn't what you want to hear, but it isn't my area of expertise. All I know is that Amon is dangerous for everyone, and I want him brought to justice. I've been working diligently with councilman Tarrlok in striking at Equalist bases, but I don't think it's enough. So...it's come to this. Amon. I know you're listening. I want to duel you, one on one. Meet me at Avatar Aang Memorial Island tonight at midnight. If you want to end this, then come on. I'll show you _exactly_ what an Avatar can do."

xxxXXXxxx

"What are you thinking?!" Tenzin's calm exterior was out the window. He'd flown all the way to city hall right after he heard what she planned to do. "Korra, this is madness."

"Don't try and stop me, Tenzin," her tone was indignant. Suddenly, Tarrlok stepped in.

"For once, I whole-heartedly agree with councilman Tenzin. This is unacceptable behavior."

"You don't think I can beat him?"

"No, I just...Korra, this isn't the right way to handle this. Just, call it off and we can continue-"

"I can't keep going on night after night doing nothing because you're too much of a coward to make a big move!" she pointed at him accusingly. "Amon is the threat. I can beat him! I'm the Avatar!"

"Just because you are the Avatar doesn't make you invulnerable. He could...he could take your bending away," Tenzin's voice grew soft as he finished, as if trying to hide from the possibility.

"Then so be it. So long as he's caught."

"That's-" Tenzin stepped forward, but Tarrlok beat him to it.

"No! Korra, I need you!" he blinked, catching his outburst only after it already happened.

"If you really do need me to beat them, then we never stood a chance to begin with," was all she said before leaving.

Kuvira met her outside the hall, having run all the way there. "Korra!"

"Not you too," the Avatar's voice was low and threatening."

"I can't let you just-" she was cut off as she was unexpectedly slid out of her way by Korra's earthbending. She stood in shock as she strode past, hands balled into fits. She might actually hit her if she was provoked, Kuvira thought.

The watcher entered city hall with something of a mixture of apprehension and anger. How could Tarrlok let it come to this? It seemed Tenzin had the same idea. His finger was pointed accusingly.

"This is _your_ fault, Tarrlok! If Korra hadn't joined your ridiculous task force, then we wouldn't be in this mess."

"Don't you pin this on me, Tenzin. You think I wanted this to happen? Korra is invaluable to this city; why would I want her harmed?"

Tenzin crossed his arms. "I'm sure you could come up with something," he noticed Kuvira. "And you! Why didn't you stop this?"

She blinked, not sure what she was expecting. In her daze, she responded with an equal amount of vitriol in her voice.. "I don't control Korra. It's above my paygrade."

"I...you…" Tenzin sighed. "We're all becoming defensive."

"I agree," Tarrlok gestured out to the city. "There's no use fighting when the Avatar needs our help. I'll assemble my task force to watch the island every waking moment."

"I can have Lin on the phone for the police to do the same," Tenzin nodded his head. He turned to Kuvira. "You will be with her, ready to swoop in if something goes wrong."

"I wouldn't have it any other way."

xxxXXXxxx

The air was cool, even on the summer night. As it dragged on, it grew even colder, to the point where Korra was beginning to get comfortable.

She'd arrived at the island several hours before midnight, to help mentally prepare herself. It wasn't until night had already fallen that she noticed the scowl on her face. Odd...she hadn't wanted it to be there. Come to think of it, the entire day had gone by in a blur.

It wasn't as is she was possessed or sleepwalking, but...it just seemed like she was watching it all play out instead of actively participating in it. But it was way too late to turn back now, and honestly, thi is what she'd wanted to do from the beginning.

She knew that Amon wasn't going to last. She knew that he was going to end up as a minor threat in her tenure as the Avatar. It was inevitable. She wanted to cut the weed early, before it grew.

Korra saw several boats circling the island, which annoyed her, but she only asked them to not come onto the island, so she didn't do anything about it. If they tried to stop Amon, then that was another story. If she was anything, she wanted to be honorable.

The minutes ticked by into hours, or so it seemed. She went from standing to sitting, to standing again, to dancing like Kuvira had taught her, to shadow-bending, to sitting again, to laying down, to sitting, or something around that order. The point is, she had a lot of time to mentally prepare herself, like she had wanted to do.

Finally, the clock struck midnight, literally. Korra jumped a bit, not expecting it after so long waiting. She waited a few more minutes in a fighting stance, ready for an attack, but it never came. Eventually, at midnight-fifteen, she relaxed.

"Guess you're a no show, Amon," Korra put her hands behind her head and started walking back to the dock. She had to pass right by the entrance to the actual memorial on her way, but she didn't think anything of it. Turns out that she should've.

Without warning, her legs were tied together with a thrown tool, sending her right to the ground. She was then pulled as if by rope into the pitch black memorial. She cried out, trying to gain her bearings. Once she did, Korra firebent away the rope that dragging her, and shot to her feet. With the fire, she was able to get a glimpse of her adversary. Or rather, adversaries.

Over a dozen Equalist chi blockers surrounded Korra in a circle. As she sprang into action, desperately fighting them off as they came, her heart rate skyrocketed in a way that felt completely foreign to her. When she fought, her heart rate was high in excitement and adrenaline. But never before did it rise in pure fear. "_There's no way I can beat all of them,"_ She thought, and sure enough she couldn't. Relatively quickly, he was subdued by the chi blockers, and she fell to the ground in a heap.

At some point, she was picked up by the arms, and then...there he was. Amon approached, lit only by a dim lamp nearby, eyes cold beneath the mask. "I received your invitation."

"C...coward!" Korra voice was both weaker and shakier than she wanted.

"You misunderstand. I would be more than happy to duel the Avatar one on one. But you're no Avatar. You're a spoiled little girl with no idea what she's up against. And when all is said and done, I will make sure that you become less than nothing," he reached his hand toward her. She weakly fought against the hold the chi blockers had on her. To her surprise, he only grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him. "What say you?"

"You don't know what you're talking about!"

"I know much more than you can fathom, little girl. You are but a small part of the puzzle, a final nail in the coffin. If I take your bending away now, you would become a martyr, but should I wait until this city reaches the pinnacle of despair, then there will be nothing left to give the people hope," he chuckled; it was completely humorless. "Not that you were capable of giving to them in the first place. You lack the confidence."

"You...I'm...going to stop you! You're evil!"

"No," Amon stepped back. "I am the retribution that this city deserves."

He reared his hand back and landed a solid chop of Korra's neck, sending her vision spiralling and forcing her muscles to stop working. She collapsed, vision quickly going black. The last thing she saw were metal cables shooting toward the Equalists, but Korra's backup had come too late.

xxxXXXxxx

An alarm went off just a few minutes past midnight. Immediately, the entire bay lit up with boat lights, and all of them sped toward Avatar Aang Memorial Island. Chief Beifong's and Kuvira's boat arrived first, and the two women shot off of the deck and pounded up to the memorials where they found half a dozen chi blockers at the entrance.

Immediately, three of then attacked. The two worked together in separating them, Kuvira tripping one up with a metal slab, clearing a path. "Go!" She quickly subdued the other two, and Beifong took the opportunity.

Kuvira fell into a rhythm now that she was alone, of periodically using her metal slab and cables to trip up the Equalists that confronted her. It became even easier when Tarrlok and his task force joined her. Once they were defeated, Kuvira charged into the memorial just as a dozen more chi blockers appeared seemingly out of nowhere, completely blocking off and backup.

Kuvira entered the dimly lit memorial at the tail end of Beifong's losing battle against Amon. The man was alone, with his entourage being taken care of outside. Still, he was nothing short of unstoppable, or so it seemed. Even a master metalbender like Beifong was no match, throwing her cablesbout in precise attacks and traps that never managed to land.

Eventually, he managed to get the upper hand by closing the distance between them and subduing her with physical force and an expert throw. Now standing over her, he prepared to take her bending away.

On instinct, Kuvira threw her metal slab at him in order to stop him. He heard her grunt, turned toward her, and _caught_ the slab in his hands. Kuvira stopped, surprised at the raw strength that the man possessed, if he even was a man. Still, the bender quickly retrieved the slab once he'd dropped it, his attention now solely focused on her.

Kuvira glanced back, not seeing any progress made against the chi blockers, making Kuvira feel lucky that she and Beifong had the element of surprise. Korra was unconscious on the floor a few meters away, and Beifong herself was down for the count for now. Kuvira suspected that she took quite the beating before Kuvira got inside.

"What's your play, Amon? You want to cause total anarchy?"

"Quite the opposite, officer," his voice sent shivers down the woman's spine. "I will bring true justice to this city, unlike the false ideal you stand by."

The commitment with which he said it was enough to convince the watcher that she couldn't reason with him. Instead, she readied herself for a fight.

She began by trying to zone hom, sending her cables to entangle him and her slab to try and trip him up. It was evident very quickly that that wasn't going to work, and when she shot the cables, he managed to grab them and yank her toward him. Instead of falling flat onto her face, Kuvira rolled, dragging a mound of earth from the ground as she did and hurling it at him at point blank range. He dodged it, not within striking distance.

Kuvira avoided the first strike, with it feeling like the bullet at his fist whizzed past her head, and tried to make distance by sending up a cloud of dust from the ground. He surprised her by pursuing g her through the dust, catching her leg and flinging her away and into the wall. The impact knocked the wind out of her, sending her into a brief coughing fit as she hit the ground.

When she recovered, Amon was already on her. She narrowly avoided his strikes and then yanked her leg up to wrap around his neck, attempting a hold of her own. He growled at that, and smashed her into the wall again, loosening her grip enough to have him throw her off. She stood again, realizing that she was getting nowhere.

She was tense, her breath was ragged and uneven, and her form was slipping. This wouldn't do. She leapt backward, creating a bit of distance. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. Her heart rate lowered. She fixed her posture, and she stared directly at Amon. He was her target; for now, nothing else mattered.

Kuvira had entered the Zone.

The watcher had claimed that she was the greatest earth and metalbender in the world, and she would stand by that. She could enter this...well, this zone, to where she blocked out all thoughts other than her opponent. Nothing could stop her when in this state. When in the Zone, Kuvira had absolute control of her current world.

She dashed forward, several mounds of earth dragging behind her. She launched two at Amon to distract him, before getting in close and launching a flurry of blows, both physical and with her metal. Her slab turned into a deadly blade, arcing around in precise and fluid motions. Even Amon couldn't keep up. He was forced backwards, up against the wall. With a stomp of her foot, Kuvira raised two walls to block him in, preventing escape. She reared her slab back, sharpened it into a point, and thrust it forward.

She would've hit his shoulder, piercing in a way that it wouldn't kill him, but would still stick him to the wal so he could be arrested. But she didn't make it that far.

Her body stop mid-motion, forcibly so. Her metal plummeted to the ground with a clang. After the briefest of moments, Kuvira was shot backwards with an unreal amount of force, from seemingly nothing. But Kuvira knew exactly what it was.

Its effects were tremendous, even worse than she had heard. After it wore offs the body was weak and fragile, from being messed with in the wrong way.

"You're...a bloodbender…?" Kuvira wasn't even sure what the correct response to this information was.

Amon ignored her surprise. "Impressive. I didn't know the police hired such talented benders. It's a shame. If you hadn't decided to oppose me, you could've gone down in history as one of the best," he approached, immobilizing her with his powers, without doing any of the proper motions either. It was purely psychic.

"I'll...I'll tell everyone," Kuvira forced her brain to function enough through the foreign feeling of someone else controlling her body.

"Please, go ahead," he sounded almost amused. "The people wont believe you. Even if they do, it would be the easiest thing to start over under a new guise and a new proposal. So long as this city burns, I can wait for a hundred years," Amon reached his hand out to her forehead, ready to take her bending. She closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable. But it never came.

Instead, Kuvira heard what sounded like a splash; a water whip crashed into Amon as Tarrlok and his task force finally broke through the Equalist line. The two, Tarrlok and Amon had a bit of a standoff, his task force rushing to Korra's side. Then, Amon retreated. Tarrlok didn't try to follow.

Kuvira was in too much of a daze to wonder why he didn't make chase. After the fact, she could see how it would be the correct decision, given how they were still fighting Equalists outside, which is where he sent his task force after Amon left, and that capturing the man wasn't their goal. Korra's safety was the top priority.

Kuvira, once the hold was broken on her, collapsed as if she'd just been chi blocked. Tenzin ran in, having dealt with the majority of the chi blockers at the entrance and left the rest to Tarrlok's force. He ran to Korra, who was finally coming to.

Kuvira tried to stand, but failed to do so. Beifong was the first to come to her, kneeling down and putting a hand on her shoulder. Kuvira looked up, expecting the same hard stare that was normal, or something akin to sympathy. What she got was shock. "Where...did you learn to bend like that?"

The watcher blinked, not expecting the question. Her Zone was so natural after thirteen years of refining it that she didn't really think it was all too special. It wasn't as if it was unique to her, it's what anyone does when living fully in the moment (for example, when a pro bender is playing out of their mind, they're probably in the Zone); she just learned how to control it.

"I...I'm self-taught."

"Don't give me that crap," Beifong's lips curled into a frown. Though, her face softened upon taking in the exhaustion on Kuvira's face. "...We'll talk about it later. For now, you need rest."

"But...Chief, Amon is-"

"We will discuss it later," Beifong said it a bit more forcefully, and this time Kuvira kept her mouth shut. She looked over to Korra, who was despondent. Her face held no emotion other than a distinct melancholy. She didn't speak at all before they made it back to Air Temple Island.

They found out through her forming a flame in her palm that Amon hadn't taken her bending away, though his reasons were unknown. Kuvira didn't mention that Amon was a bloodbender yet; she wanted Korra to be present and aware before that happened. In the end, everyone returned to business as usual, or as close to it as possible.

Kuvira found Korra sitting alone on the steps to the outer courtyard. The older woman sat beside the Avatar wordlessly, seeing her staring out to the bay, lost in thought. Or maybe she was spacing out.

Either way, Kuvira opted not to speak until she was spoken to. Call it habit; it was how she was raised in Zaofu. It also happened to be a terrible strategy when it came to getting respect. If someone was pissing you off and you never respond because they didn't ask what you thought, then you'd get nowhere, as a plain example.

Then, after a moment, Korra spoke.

"Hey, Vee," she didn't look at her watcher. "...I'm the Avatar, right?"

"Last I checked."

"Then...why can't I just beat the Equalists and move on?"

Kuvira looked out to the water, mindlessly bending the metal slab she kept on her. She could give the obvious answer; 'you're not strong enough' or 'you're only one person', but she had a feeling that that wasn't what Korra was looking for. Finally, she shrugged. "I don't know."

"Vee?"

"Yes?"

"What is the 'Avatar', anyway?"

"I'm not sure I understand the question."

"What does it mean to be the Avatar?"

She took a deep breath. "It means you can bend the four elements. It means you can communicate with spirits and your past lives."

"But what does it _mean_?" Korra finally turned to her, a clear urgency in her eyes. Kuvira only stared, not sure of what to say. Korra's hand shot out, and pointed to Avatar Aang Memorial Island. "Is that an Avatar?!"

"It's...a statue of one…"

"Why can't I be like him?! Why I can't I be like Aang or Roku or Kyoshi or any of the others? Why am I the Avatar when I can't-" her voice caught in her throat, as if realizing midway through saying it what a ridiculous statement she was going to make. "I can't...do anything right…" she finally buried her face in her hands. Softs sobs could be heard. Kuvira hesitated before answering.

"This is...really getting to you, isn't it?" Korra gave a light nod. The watcher took a deep breath. "...So, your problem is that you want to be more like some dead old people?"

Korra sniffled a bit, eyes puffy from tears. "Well, no, but...Republic City deserves...better than me..."

"Then it's up to you to become that person," Kuvira waved her hand, acting as if it was the easiest thing in the world. Then she saw the look Korra was giving her; one of defeat. "Look, just...eventually, you're going to have to realize that the world isn't going to wait for you to become the best version of yourself. When you do, you'll have two options. Either you can be left behind to stomped into an endless rut, or you can rise up, take responsibility whether you think you deserve the hand you've been dealt or not, and grow up."

"..." Korra didn't look very assured by that, so Kuvira tried something different.

"...Do you really think Avatar Aang defeated the Fire Lord alone? Do you think he was _that_," she pointed to the memorial. "His whole life? Of course not. But then, he didn't rely on his strength alone. Whenever he faltered, Katara would be there to pick him up, or Toph, or Sokka, or Zuko. He had this foundation of support to keep him from collapsing under the weight of his legacy. You're entitled to the same thing," Kuvira wiped away the Avatar's tears and brushed her hair from her face. "You need people you can trust."

"I…" she sniffled. "I guess…"

"Korra!" Two sets of footsteps approached; Mako and Bolin. "Spirits, are you okay?" the firebender slid to a kneel beside her. "Did they hurt you?"

"I'm...I'm fine…" Korra didn't try to back up that claim with a smile. She just kept looking sad.

"Perfect timing, you two," Kuvira turned to face them. "I was just saying to the Avatar here that she needs to stop shouldering all of the action and to rely on us more. Thoughts?"

It took each of them a moment of process that. Bolin responded first. "I'm game."

Mako turned to the Avatar. "Korra...in or out of the ring, we're a team. We're supposed to help each other, right?"

She nodded hesitantly. "Right…"

"Then I've got your back. Always."

They all stood. Korra looked from one person to the other, seeing their reassurance in their eyes. Then she started smiling, if meekly. "So...what are you proposing? A new Team Avatar?"

Kuvira smirked. "I don't know. Am I?" she looked to the bending brothers.

Bolin grinned his goofy grin. "Oho, that sounds awesome! Hey, who needs a stupid waterbending task force when we've got," he flexed triumphantly. "Team Avatar, out on patrol!"

Korra giggled. "I think...I like the sound of that."

Bolin's eyes lit up. "Or maybe we could be the Korra Krew, or the Bending Brigade, or the _Bolin_ Brigade! Or the-" Mako elbowed him.

"Enough."

Kuvira put her hand in the center of them. "To the new Team Avatar, then?"

Bolin slapped his hand on top of hers, followed by Mako. They all looked to Korra, who's smile had returned to its usual chipper form. She put her hand on top. "Yeah! To the new Team Avatar!" they all cheered, voices echoing across the bay.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys! So, I wanted to have this written like the day after the last one was posted but...I got writer's block, unfortunately.**

**In any case, here we have what I would consider to be the first big change (aside from all of those other big changes I already made): Amon is revealed as a bloodbender early.**

**So the series proper escalates really sporadically in the first season. I actually think the first season of Korra is super solid script-wise and pacing-wise, but the massive escalation of the Equalist movement was a bit...tough to take in, at times. It all made sense in the end, but I'm going for a different approach with my work. Hopefully you guys will enjoy.**

**In any case, thanks for reading, and please let me know your thoughts in a review!**


	11. Natural Reaction

Kuvira wasn't sure about the direction that Team Avatar was going. That might have been a pessimistic viewpoint, but she just couldn't shake the feeling of running around with a bunch of children.

It was mostly Korra and Bolin, though Kuvira made no secret of her dislike of Mako either. The two were insistent on condenames. Not for them, no; that'd be too obvious. Instead, Korra wanted to call out their tactics. Kuvira shut that idea down as best she could, but she lost the argument for one reason; unlike something like the military alphabet, these codes won't be known. Thus, they'll only make sense to them and thus would likely just confuse the opponent rather than hinder Team Avatar.

That was the idea. How was the execution?

Well, the morning after the whole deal with Amon, Kuvira and Korra brainstormed ideas, and it went like this:

"So, it occurs to me," Kuvira crossed her arms in thought. "Being a new Team Avatar...is competing with some of the greatest benders of all time, correct?"

"I suppose…" Korra set down the pai sho piece she'd been holding; the two women were playing at the time. "So? You're really good, right?"

Kuvira had to be careful not to come off as arrogant with what she said next. "That may be, but it could be said that the combined strength of us four doesn't match the combined strength of the previous Team Avatar."

"Okay...what are you getting at? That we're doomed to fail?"

"Far from. We just need to come up with some ways to counteract that deficit," Kuvira decided on her move and move the appropriate piece, smirking as she saw Korra's distraught expression in knowing she was pretty royally screwed. In the game, anyway.

"Okay, any ideas?"

"I do, actually. I'm sure you and I both had to do our fair share of reading of Avatar Aang's quest," Korra nodded, grimacing at all the time spent with her nose in a book. "Do you recall the plan they used to ultimately defeat the Fire Lord?"

Korra thought about it for a moment. "Aang faced Ozai. Zuko and Katara faced Azula, but Zuko fought her in a duel in the end. Sokka, Toph, and a Kyoshi Warrior named Suki took down whatever airships that Aang couldn't destroy before his fight started."

"Do you notice a trend with those?"

"Um…"

"The plan may have been one thing, but in the execution everything ended up in one-on-one duels. Looking through their history, such things are far from rarities. The first Team Avatar largely fought individually, using their own traditional bending techniques to win the day. That worked for the time, and for the more stringent forms of bending in them, but we don't live in those times, do we?"

"So, are you talking team attacks?"

"That's exactly what I'm talking about. What we can't accomplish alone, we'll make up for with our synergy."

Korra grinned. "Oh, that sounds awesome! We should come up with code names!"

"What? No."

"But…"

And thus happened the argument that Kuvira lost.

In any case, whatever they came up with would have to wait for the next day. Both women tried to be low energy in the morning, with Tenzin having given Korra the next few days off of her airbending training. In the afternoon, both of them were expected to appear before the city council to provide an account of what happened the night prior. Then, in the evening, Korra and the Fire Ferrets had the first match of the season. Thankfully, it was against an easy opponent, and it turned out to be just what Korra needed to get back to herself

Back to the meeting with the council though.

Kuvira was expecting some kind of event, and unfortunately she got it. Mako and Bolin decided to come along as well, and four was already a crowd. Add in about fifty reporters who were hoping for a big headline about how Korra was going to deal with the Equalists.

The girl held much less confidence than she had when challenging Amon, likely because she was no longer sleep-deprived and stupid as she was then. Now, she nearly cowered at the barrage of questions, though tried to keep her chin up. Kuvira and Bolin did what they could to clear a path, trying to gently push the reporters out of the way; gently being the operative word. Mako was with Korra, hand interlocked with hers, keeping close. Kuvira thought that was a bit much; it wasn't as if she was helpless.

When they reached the main entrance, they saw that the reporters outside were just the preliminary round. There were another few dozen in the lobby, plus _another_ few dozen in the hall leading to the meeting chamber. It soon became too much.

Kuvira and Bolin couldn't ward off that many people without hurting them, forcing them back to the group. Korra seemed even more nervous with the increase in questions being shouted at her. Mako noticed this and leaned in close.

"You okay?" he said it into her ear, so she could hear over the shouting. She nodded, though weakly. "You don't look it," she avoided his worried gaze at the observation. The firebender looked around a bit, seeing that they were hardly moving. "You don't want to answer them, right?"

Korra spoke, saying something like, "Not at all right now," but her voice was drowned out. Mako got the gist, though.

He leaned in again. "If I do this, promise you'll bail me out if I accidentally burn someone," Korra was about to question what he meant, when he suddenly lashed out, flames arcing out in front of them. The reporters screamed in shock and a bit of fear. "Get out of here! The Avatar has important business that doesn't involve you leeches!"

Mako's little display was inherently non-lethal, though Kuvira doubted that the reporters knew that. Thus, they kept out of their way. "_Good play,_" Kuvira conceded it to Cool Under Fire only in her head. Call it stubbornness.

xxxXXXxxx

"A bloodbender?" the councilmen and women had a mixture of shock, fear, and disbelief on their faces when Kuvira relayed her experiences. Korra held a similar expression, only it was all rolled into one face; hers. Tarrlok was the most skeptical, being a waterbender. "That's impossible."

"Well, I know what I felt," Kuvira stood her ground. Tarrlok saw this, glaring at the young woman.

"You were likely frightened," Tenzin tried to diffuse the situation. "It was a stressful night for all of us; it's entirely possible that you were...freezing up at the sight of him."

Kuvira raised an eyebrow, not so much mad that he didn't believe her than she was annoyed that he'd imply cowardice. "I'll say this; I'm not scared of that man. I was about to defeat him, when _something_ shot me away from him and then held me in place. The only person able to do that is a bloodbender."

"No one is saying you were scared of Amon, perse," Tarrlok sat back down from his standing position. "But rather the situation. In any case, the possibility of Amon being a bloodbender is zero."

"I wouldn't go that far, Tarrlok," Tenzin also sat back down.

"No? Let me break it down. Amon is the leader of the Equalists; an anti-bending movement. They wouldn't trust someone who could utilize what is possibly the strongest and most twisted form of bending beyond those of the Avatar. As well, bloodbending requires a full-moon to utilize, along with specific techniques that have been lost to time save for individuals like Katara, who know of its use only to counteract it. There has only been a record of one man who could defy these rules, and he would be nearly eighty years old by now if he wasn't dead."

"You refer to Yakone, the crime boss?" Tenzin stroke dhis beard. "Is it possible that he had any children? Perhaps they-"

"I just explained that he was dead, Councilman Tenzin," Tarrlok offered a smirk, smug as ever. "A man can't have children when he's a decomposing corpse."

Tenzin continued stroking his beard. He seemed to the be one who was trying to believe Kuvira the most, and spirits bless him for that. She knew it was a crazy story, and without proof, her word was all they had to go on. Except…

"Chief Beifong was there as well. Unlike Korra, she was conscious and watching the battle," Kuvira crossed her arms. If they wouldn't take her word, then they might take Beifong's; a trusted individual.

Tenzin nodded, and without an hour the woman was before them. She nodded to Kuvira, addressing her with a, "we're talking after this," before she faced the council.

"Chief Beifong, it's a pleasure," Tarrlok bowed with respect. It seemed genuine enough.

"Yes, it's nice to see you all," Beifong waved off the greetings, settling her arms across her chest. "What do you want? I have things to do."

"It seems your officer saw something strange last night, and we're told that you can confirm it. She claims that she was bloodbent by Amon."

"Well, I'm not sure it was bloodbending, but it wasn't normal," Beifong gave a neutral answer; normal for her. She generally didn't like openly taking a side, not in front of so many influential people.

"But you think it's a possibility?" Tenzin turned to her. She nodded curtly at him; Kuvira had heard about their old flame; awkward would likely be the best term to describe it.

"Of course it is. I trust my officers implicitly; that's why I hire them. If she says it's bloodbending with some certainty, then you'd do well to believe her."

Kuvira was almost surprised at the stance she took. It wasn't as if she expected Beifong to deny the possibility, but for something so far-fetched, she imagined that she would be more skeptical, as per usual. Perhaps it was the skeptic in Kuvira, then, that thought that it was a targeted play.

It turned out that she was half-right in that regard.

After the meeting, Kuvira was pulled aside from Team Avatar by Beifong, into a small corridor where they could speak privately. "Alright, officer," Beifong crossed her arms. "Spill. Where did you learn to bend like that?"

Kuvira looked her dead in the eye. "I'm self-taught," the answer, repeated. from the night prior, wasn't an entirely false one. It just didn't tell the whole truth. She didn't learn how to earthbend or metalbend by herself, nor did she learn dancing, of which her style is based on those motions, by herself either. She _did_ develop her style and efficiency with it on her own, however.

Beifong sighed. "And after I stuck my neck out for you...fine, don't tell me. I wasn't going to reprimand you, I was going to promote you. No bender with that much talent needs to be wasted on the beat or this babysitting job," Kuvira just gave her a blank stare. "But if you're not going to tell me, then I can't do that in good conscience."

Kuvira shrugged. "I could be on a worse assignment, like directly under you, for example," Beifong raised an eyebrow at that and it took Kuvira a moment to realize that she'd just snapped at her superior and insulted her. "...apologies."

"For what?" Beifong's arms remained crossed, but her expression softened just a bit. "Listen, kid, I...know what it's like to have a difficult past that's hard to talk about. And-"

"Hey, Vee, are you guys done in here?" Korra popped her head in. "Because we've got a match in like an hour."

"Go on without me, Korra," Kuvira didn't take her eyes off of the Chief.

"No, it's fine," Beifong waved it off. "I'm no good at this kind of thing anyway."

The two women stood awkwardly across from each other for a moment. Thank the spirits for Korra when she grabbed Kuvira's arm and pulled her out, ending the conversation at least for now.

xxxXXXxxx

The walk to the arena was a bit quiet, even for Kuvira's tastes. She could tell that Korr and the others wanted to talk, but they probably knew that the conversation would inevitably turn to Amon and the Equalists. The only conversation were some brief interactions between Korra and Mako; 'thank you's for what he did to get them through the crowd earlier.

Finally, Kuvira sighed. "Korra, what do you think?"

The girl jumped slightly at the sudden noise. "A-about what?"

"Amon."

"...what about him…?" her voice lowered to barely above a whisper.

Bolin strode closer to her, trying to keep his voice down. "You know, about...bloodbending?"

Korra didn't answer right away. Truthfully, Kuvira wanted a simple answer, preferably an honest one, so they could move on to lighter topics. Finally, Korra spoke. "I think...I don't believe you."

Kuvira stopped walking, shocked at the response. "...what?"

"It's...impossible," Korra avoided the hard stare that Kuvira was giving her. The older woman wasn't trying to be intimidating, but she was afraid she came off that way.

Mako spoke up. "I mean, it _does_ sound pretty crazy. I think Tarrlok had a point."

"Or two," Bolin chimed in, offering a smile to distract from the fact that he was disagreeing with her.

"Or maybe you all are just running from the truth because it frightens you," Kuvira put a hand on her hip.

"Hey!"

"Come on, that was uncalled for."

The bending brothers' protestations made Kuvira take a step back. She looked to Korra, whose form had shrunk to that miniscule thing she saw that first day, when she asked why everyone hated her. Instantly, a pang of guilt welled up into the watcher's gut; she never wanted to make her feel that way. Kuvira bowed her head. "I'm sorry...I was overstepping my bounds. Forget what I said."

Bolin smiled and slapped a hand onto her shoulder. "Hey don't worry about it. We still like you, even if your story is about as real as a three Yuan bill."

"Bo, too much," Mako pulled him off. "...Bloodbender or not, something shady went down between them. We need to be prepared for anything."

For as much as Kuvira didn't like Mako, she appreciated that he wasn't ruling out the possibility completely, and acknowledged that they needed to be careful. With that, though, the three made it to the arena.

Thankfully, things went smoothly, as stated before. At first, with the somewhat dour mood that the prior conversation had left the group in, Kuvira was worried she ruined their opening night.

Things quickly turned around, however, when Hiroshi Sato himself appeared before them. Not literally, but he was there, in the lobby. Once he saw Team Avatar, over the crowd of people asking him questions. He approached them with the same fatherly solicitude as before, warmly greeting and shaking each of their hands before having them lead him to their locker room before the match. He only really spoke to them, though, after they were in private. "Oh, it's wonderful to see you all again. I have to say, I didn't believe I could get so invested in this whole pro bending shebang, but the crowd certainly helped provide excitement!"

"It's the reason _I_ do this, for sure," Bolin nodded his head in agreement, with Korra doing the same soon after.

"Is there any particular reason you came tonight?"

Hiroshi looked to the questioning Avatar. "Why, to personally provide you your uniforms, of course."

"What about our old ones?"

"Recycled; they'll be repurposed and added to to provide an outfit for others less fortunate, if all goes to plan that is."

Mako was grinning. "I can't wait to see them."

"Well, I hope they don't disappoint," Hiroshi chuckled.

"They won't," Mako was pleased, though looked to Korra to see her not sharing in the excitement, and in fact looked absent-minded as she strode beside him. She was probably still thinking about Amon and the Equalists. He leaned closer to her. "We need this."

Her eyes focused again, and she smiled. "Yeah, I know. It's just...hard."

Mako nodded in understanding, interlacing his fingers with hers to give her some amount of reassurance. He'd meant what he said; he would always have her back in whatever she needed his help with. The problem was that he wasn't sure how to even help her. He wasn't exactly a handyman in that regard.

Finally, they all made it to the locker room, where the Fire Ferret's new uniforms had actually already been delivered, slightly contradicting Hiroshi's earlier statement. Kuvira thought nothing of it. The trio all pulled out their uniforms and slipped them on; each seemed to have been custom fit for the athlete it was made for. It look almost identical to their old uniform, if made with higher-quality materials, but it had the Future Industries logo emblazoned over the chest pad. The three stretched and moved a bit in the garbs, and Kuvira could tell that they were well-made just from watching.

"Wow, these are…" Mako was speechless.

"Awe-ha-some!" Bolin shadow-boxed with ease. "Hey, these are _way_ better than our old ones!"

"And," Hiroshi approached the younger brother. "It's got a little extra. It's not anything special, but I felt it was a nice touch," in a pun, Hiroshi then lightly touched the Future Industries insignia, and it lit up in a cool forest green on Bolin's uniform. Mako then did the same, and his burned an orange that, while difficult to make out on the red uniform, came across passably. Korra's, then, made sense to glow a pale blue when she tapped hers. Bolin practically had stars in his eyes.

"This is amazing!" he pumped his fistrs in the air. "Oh man, just _wait_ 'til we get out there! With these, we're gonna kick some serious tail tonight!"

"

"Yeah, I guess…" Korra shrugged. She seemed the least excited, only to doing her standard stretches before walking out to the edge of the platform to wait for the others. Hiroshi noticed this, even while conversing with Mako. Once the Fire Ferrets started moving toward the arena, he asked about it.

"I don't mean to pry, but...is something the matter with the Avatar?"

And this was where Kuvira had to be careful with what she said. She didn't know if she was technically allowed to reveal anything, about what happened the night prior or during the meeting today. In end, she chose to give a vague answer. "She's had a rough week, is all."

"Is it that task force thing that Councilman Tarrlok is using?"

"Good guess," Kuvira sat down on the bench as the round started. "She's hardly gotten any sleep or vreaktime; she swings between irritable and exhausted, making it exceedingly difficult to get through to her."

What she just said was mostly true. She was hoping that forming a new Team Avatar would cheer her up and help take some of the load off, but they've yet to implement anything, so for now that plan was stagnant; as was Korra with her mood.

The match was going well, surprising the watcher. All three of the Fire Ferrets were focused, it seemed, making cooperation and coordination a cinch.

"..." Hiroshi just watched.

"If I may ask...why are you helping them so much?"

"I believe I explained myself."

"Call me a cynic, and you don't have to answer if you don't want to."

Hiroshi considered for a moment, before relenting. "That my daughter loved pro bending was the truth, and I felt it would've made her happy."

"Where is your daughter?"

"..." His silence was more than enough indication; Hiroshi's daughter was dead. a firebender entered my home and cut both her and my wife down in a robbery."

"I'm sorry."

"It's fine," he waved his hand, though his tone was clearly dampened from having remembered the event. "I should've been there, to protect them. It's my fault."

"No, it's not. The firebender is the one to blame," Kuvira rested her chin in her hand. "Was he ever brought to justice?"

"No, he got away. But I'm relieved to hear you say what you did."

"It's the natural reaction. And for what it's worth, I think your daughter would be proud of what you've accomplished."

"I thank you again," Hiroshi bowed. A few moments later, the Fire Ferrets won by knockout in the second round. Judging from the grins on their faces, even Korra's, this was a good thing to lose themselves in for a few moments.

"Well, I'm sure you all are tired," Hiroshi moved to leave. "I bid you farewell for now. Perhaps soon I can show you a few more things. I wish you luck in your endeavors, Fire Ferrets."

And with that, the man left the group to wind down.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, sorry this wasn't out like three days ago; I got sick, and I was trying to focus what little energy I did have to my book.**

**In any case, not an action-heavy chapter; it's mostly a character one. I suppose it should be expected, given that my style is vast amounts of character between action beats. That said, I really wasn't feeling this chapter as I wrote it, but as for how it turned out...well, that will be for you to decide. I've noticed that my writing is less...peppy when I'm not feeling, as if I'm listing something off rather than making a story. And there are times when that's necessary; an explanation of a power system for example, but as for how it translates to scenes like this will, again, be for you to decide.**

**With that, I'll leave you. See ya!**


	12. There For Each Other

Kuvira heard the sounds of a fight as she returned from giving her weekly report. She wasn't particularly alarmed by it, even if the Air Acolytes were running away terrified from the carnage. Or rather, it looked like carnage from the outside. What was really happening was that the Fire Ferrets were practicing with Korra's new commands.

The system was simple in theory. Korra and Kuvira (mostly Korra, with Kuvira saying her ideas were stupid) came up with names of combinations of the members of Team Avatar, along with for each bender's unique bending type, along with a generic title afterwards to dictate how the attack would happen.

To give an example, there was 'Firebrand' for a combination of Korra using firebending and Mako using firebending. One of them would shout out, "Firebrand!" and then either alpha, beta, delta, gamma, or omega afterwards to dictate the type of attack. Alternatively, they could shout, "Wildfire!" if they wanted Mako to use lightning, while Korra remained on fire.

'Alpha' meant a full-frontal assault, with both benders attacking simultaneously to break through an opponent's defense.

'Beta' meant a flanking maneuver, with the person calling out the attack attacking the front.

'Delta' was also a direct assault, but this time the person following the order's attack was staggered, so if Korra called 'Firebrand Delta' she would attack, and then as she was recovering from the motion of the attack, saying having to draw back her fist from a punch, then that was when Mako would attack. Its purpose was to keep up pressure, and maybe mix-up the opponent.

'Gamma' was a simple, long-range assault; mainly to be used defensively or to help regroup. None of the benders were tailored to this type of combat, save for Kuvira, so this was easily their weakest formation.

'Omega' meant a single, built-up, all-or-nothing attack. Kuvira argued that this type of style was useless, because an enemy could simply avoid it and then they're helpless. Korra's retort was that it had to be used with another duo or with some other assistance. So, ideally, two people would keep pressure with 'delta', while the others then surprised them with an 'omega' attack while they were distracted. Kuvira was reticent about this one more than any other. It wasn't her style to go for big-big attacks; she was more a fan of smaller, less committal ones.

That said, Team Avatar was very much having to learn this foreign system, and seemed to be sliding down the learning curve a lot at the beginning. While their team synergy was fairly decent before, it plummeted as they struggled to remember the commands, what the formations meant, and their frustration was clearly evident in the first four days of so. Seeing this, Kuvira knew it was her job to keep them on track, so on that fourth night, she'd committed to memorizing the commands completely, losing quite a bit of sleep in the process. The next day, she made sure to demonstrate at least for a few bright moments of promise as to what could be accomplished with it. To her own surprise, it was very effective, at least against single targets.

Of course, this was the system's major flaw, though not necessarily fatal; it was assuming a lot. First, it was assuming the compotency of the benders, which is reasonable. Second, it relied on that fact that they'd be outnumbering the enemy at least by one person, or if they couldn't, that they could pair-off and divide-and-conquer, for example, an opposing pro-bending team. So, for example, if Korra and Bolin used the 'Muddy Water' command on another pro bender, they had to put full faith in Mako to keep the other two busy for a few fleeting moments. This handicap could be minimized with time, as they become more used to the system and each other, to where the motions and synergy were so good as to get rid of any extra time spent, but there would always be some. Third, Kuvira's point still stood; at least for now, it was a difficult to argue against that the previous Team Avatar had a higher average 'power level', with members like Katara, Toph, and Aang being _the_ masters of their respective elements. Sure, Mako was very efficient with his fire and lightning, Korra was an excellent combatant in both actual physical prowess and battle awareness, and Bolin had a very good defense and had potential everywhere else, Kuvira couldn't comfortably say they were on the same level...yet. OF course, her narcissism showed as she would consider herself superior to Toph, but that's neither here nor there. The point was that if they were forced to fight alone, their effectiveness would be severely hampered, as this system was conditioning them to work as a team. That said, Kuvira might have been underestimating how much general improvement they were all making in doing this; it was difficult to tell this early on.

In any case, nearly a week later with a match that night, they were finally getting it. Kuvira was readily say she didn't have much confidence in Korra's plan, and still wasn't entirely sure about it in an actual combat situation, say against Equalists, but for now, in practice, things were running smoothly.

What really saved the system itself was that it wasn't a rule. While they all agreed to heed any call that they could, no matter their emotional state or whether they were arguing at the time or unsure of something or whatever, that didn't mean they were mindless zombies waiting for orders. They still retained total autonomy and could seize opportunities if they presented themselves.

Not only that, but Team Avatar's synergy was surprisingly solid after they started figuring out the system. It wasn't amazing, but with some more time and a lot more practice, Kuvira could see them working like a well-oiled machine. Already, due to their pro bending experience, Mako and Bolin were quick to read their partners' movements and react extremely fast. Kuvira had similar training from her time as a guard in Zaofu, and among the metalbending police (though she was a bit slower, not having exercised the skill as extensively). The only one who seemed a bit off was, ironically, the Avatar. She was a solo fighter above all else, and it took her at least five days to really get into the swing of things. Her prodigious nature certainly helped, and now she was at least competing with the others in this regard.

In any case, Kuvira approached the trio, who had moved their practices to the island with Tenzin's permission. Mako relented to the decision, reasoning that they were conditioned enough and that he wanted to focus on their teamwork and coordination anyway. Korra had kissed him, he blushed, and then it was clear that he ultimately agreed to please her.

Elements were flying everywhere, with all three dodging and striking in equal parts as they pelted each other with pre-placed elements akin to how they were arranged in the arena; Mako had his fire, but Bolin had made several dozen earth discs of his own, and Korra formed several ruts in the ground to simulate the vents for the water. "Cool Under Fire gamma!" Korra and Mako turned on Bolin, working his defense. To Kuvira's chagrin, this naming convention meant she could no longer refer to Mako as 'Cool Under Fire' without being confusing. It was a shame; she'd grown pretty fond of the nickname herself.

The power couple stood back, Bolin near flawlessly dodging and striking back to deflect their attacks with his own discs; he'd improved his pressure game rapidly, and even used it in a way Kuvira didn't expect. While it wasn't as stamina-efficient, he was able to accurately strike at the oncoming attacks, using his offense as a defense. It allowed him not to have to switch gears, so to speak, between attacking and defending.

Of course, he did it _near_ flawlessly. He took a greedy move, launching two earth discs with a double kick, but got hit himself while in the air. The result was that all three Fire Ferrets were knocked onto their butts simultaneously. After a moment of catching their breath, they were all laughing.

Mako was the first to stop. "You know, I wasn't sure about this at first, but I gotta day I'm liking how much better we're getting."

"I know, right!" Korra's spirits had returned to normal. Bolin was the first to notice Kuvira.

"Oh!" He leapt to his feet. "Sifu! How'd I do?. I've got some awesome stuff to show-"

"Don't call me that," Kuvira raised a hand to stop him. "Advice isn't the same as giving a lesson."

"Well, it _felt_ like a lesson," Bolin wasn't deterred by her rebuttal.

"Sifu?" Mako stood. "Has she been teaching you without my knowing?"

"Yeah, could you tell?" Bolin was beaming. Mako...was not.

"No, I just...no offense, but I don't think your style will translate well into pro bending," he faced her as he said it, clearly trying to _act_ respectful toward her. She doubted that he was doing it because her actually respected her.

Kuvira crossed her arms. "The goal was to make him a better bender, not just a pro bender. And it was only the one time."

Korra hooked her arm into his. "He _is_ getting really good lately, almost as good as you!"

"You think?" Bolin flexed his arm, clearly proud.

"I don't know about that…" Mako craned his neck. "You guys want to take five?"

It was clearly a deflection, but the others accepted it. No need to foul up the mood. The athletes grabbed some water to freshen back up, all sitting on a bench of earth that Kuvira made for them. She took the time to stretch, falling backwards into a bridge.

"Bet you couldn't do that in your uniform," Korra took a sip.

"Which is a major reason I don't mind this assignment being extended indefinitely," Kuvira felt the blood rush to her head as she transitioned into a headstand to start working some muscles.

"And here I thought you were enjoying yourself."

"What I would _enjoy_ is a good challenge. Care to provide that, Avatar?"

"Ooh, that's dangerous talk for a beat cop."

"Do you remember how our other matches went?"

"I was younger."

"It's been a month and a half."

This kind of verbal back-and-forth continued as the Fire Ferrets stood, refreshed. "Okay, if you're so confident," Korra gestured to the others. "Then we'll all fight you."

"You're kidding," Mako crossed his arms.

"Of course; little miss metalbender can beat Amon, right? Show us how good you are," Korra didn't even try and hide her excitement, even though Kuvira was sure she had meant for it to sound antagonizing. "Or were you bluffing about that?"

"Korra," Bolin leaned over to her. "Careful, she looks pretty mad…"

"Not mad," Kuvira stood, one hand on her hip. "Just a bit intrigued. Fine, I accept your challenge. If you all can take me out in three minutes, I'll…" she considered a decent reward. "I'll show you a surprise for Team Avatar."

Korra lightly scoffed. "Pretty vague there, Vee."

Kuvira went to work on forming a rough outline to simulate the pro bending arena, to add to the effect. "That's because I don't need a reward for you."

"Tch, talk about arrogant," Mako crossed his arms. "Guys, let's forget about this."

"In addition to a surprise, I'll do whatever each one of you wants, within reason of course," the watcher showed off her body to the boys. She was kind of hoping Mako would oogle her, if for no other reason than to lord it over him later, or to see Korra beat him back into submission when she noticed. He kept his eyes off of her, though.

"Now _that_ sounds like a good deal to me," Korra added water to the faux-arena, while Kuvira and Bolin made earth discs for them to use. Mako still looked hesitant, but he knew he was outvoted at this point, so he relented, going over to their stuff and grabbing a timer; they regularly used one to simulate matches like this. Soon, they were all in position, with the timer on another timer before it started (to allow benders to get into position after setting it). Both sides started in the first zone, or what passed as such. "Ready?"

Kuvira closed her eyes, centering her mind for a moment. She knew if she thought about anything else, she wouldn't be able to keep up with them. When her eyes opened back up, all she saw were her opponents and the arena. All else was a blur of color and visual white noise. She had entered the Zone once again.

Kuvira played defensively as the others started pelting her with attacks. She weaved and ducked around their strikes, sinking close to the edge of the arena as she did so. With a shift of her stance, she began drifting back toward the center, still dodging whatever came her way. This was when the Fire Ferrets started with Korra's new strategy.

"Muddy Water delta!" Bolin called out, as he and Korra staggered their attacks. Mako regained his juice, which wasn't something he'd normally be able to do in a real match, as there would be two other benders that he'd then have to distract to make the strategy work. In any case, this meant Kuvira had fewer and fewer options for dodgin, and began to rely on the earth discs as a defensive measure. She wrenched one up into Korra's water strike, and then met Bolin's first one head on, arching her back to avoid his second. A third came fast, catching her side ever so slightly. The shock of the glancing hit allowed ample time for Korra to attack, but the watcher wasn't going to lose that easily.

She launched two earth discs, one at Mako and one at Korra, as the Avatar's attack landed, sending her careening into zone two. Since Korra was attacking at the time, she didn't have time to avoid Kuvira's retaliation and suffered a similar fate. Both women stood as everyone prepared to resume. With more room between her and the opposition, she was given a precious few milliseconds before she had to react. She knew that something similar to what had happened before would repeat if she didn't try and fight back. With a swift motion between strikes in a 'Firebrand gamma' paradigm the watcher picked up several earth discs and once and sent them arcing through the air at whatever irregular angles the spacing would allow. Bolin got two; one from the left and one having a sharp curve at the last second to strike at his right. He managed to block both, surprising the watcher. Korra and Mako both got hit, ending up slamming into each other, the latter being sent into zone two to do so. Kuvira moved to strike, seeing the vulnerability, but Bolin had already sent a disc toward her.

Showing off her heightened reactions, she popped up an earth disc directly up into the oncoming one, with her being lucky that the spacing line dup so perfectly, before sending both toward Mako and Korra, sending both to zone three. As they recovered, Kuvira launched into a big offensive onto Bolin, whose defense continued to surprise her. It took a lot to finally get through, and it was at the last minute, with a high strike into a low right as Korra and Mako attacked, forcing her to dive and miss what had happened. What had happened was that Bolin was slammed back into zone two. Kuvira moved back into the first zone as per the rules, but right at that moment, the bell went off.

The ring of it stunned the watcher back into reality. She looked around, a bit disoriented. It was only after she locked eyes with Korra did she realize how sore and fatigued her body felt from pushing so hard so quickly. She nearly collapsed onto the ground, feeling a bit lightheaded and with her knees shaking like leaves. Kuvira managed to catch herself, raising her hand up to her head and shaking it a bit.

The Fire Ferrets approached her, showing a mix of awe and annoyance. Korra seemed the most in the former camp. "That was incredible, Vee! How'd you move like that?"

"I just…" she hesitated, struggling to find breath.

"Uh, you don't look so good," Bolin offered a hand, which Kuvira took (reluctantly) to steady herself. She nodded at his comment, and allowed herself to be taken to the earthen bench.

"Where'd you learn to bend like that?" Mako crossed his arms, skeptical.

"You're not the first person to ask that lately…" Kuvira shook her head one last time, forcing away the last of the grogginess. "I call it the Zone, taken from that psychological...thing, call the zone of proximal development. It's not unique to me."

"Well, it's the first time I've heard of it," Mako raised an eyebrow. "What is it, like an Avatar State?"

"You know...you're not far off," she took a deep breath, beginning her explanation. "It's more a mindset than anything. The mind has a way of limiting itself and the body, in order for it not to get hurt too badly. Sometimes these restraints can be lifted, usually in times of stress or danger; this is why people seemed to gain some...inhuman strength when some dangerous event happens; you hear crazy news stories about heroes in some tragedy like a building fire and whatnot. Anyway, entering the Zone is just removing those limiters at will. And like I said; it's not special. Mako, I'm sure you've entered it at some point when pro bending."

He closed his eyes, likely thinking. Kuvira remembered watching him when they first met, and he put on a fantastic show to win the match when all hope was lost, taking out three benders by himself. She was sure that he was in the Zone then.

"It comes with some drawbacks. For one, it pushes the body past its normal limits, and has a particularly high chance of causing it to malfunction, as in shattered bones and the like. As well, it's...just a tad tiring."

"Yeah, that's an understatement," Korra drew up a cup of water for her. "You look like you're about to pass out."

"I am. Theoretically, I guess I could keep the Zone going forever, but my body wouldn't last. I'm not sure what would happen; I've never tried to push it very far myself," Kuvira took a sip. "Anyway, I won."

"Yeah, and if you kept going, you probably would've beaten us," Bolin looked dejected as he said it; shoulders drooping and eyes sunken and closed in a pout.

"What did I tell you before? I am the-"

"The greatest earthbender _and_ metalbender in the world, I got it."

"Okay, so you won the bet. What do you want from us?"

Kuvira crossed arms and thought about it. "For my win, I will...have the pleasure of showing you all a surprise for Team Avatar."

"I hate it when people do that," despite her statement, Korra was smiling. "Where the choice doesn't even matter to them."

"No, it matters. After all, I won't be doing any of you any favors...although…"

"Oh, I hate you."

"Oh, what the hell? Why not, I'm feeling generous. Name one thing and I will do it," Bolin opened his mouth to speak. "Take some time to mull it over a bit while I show you all the surprise."

With that, Kuvira led everyone back to the city. It was a good thing, too, given that the Fire Ferrets had a match that night anyway. This way, they didn't have to take the time to sail across the bay at the last minute. Admittedly, she was a bit nervous about taking them all to the surprise in question, given that it was located at her apartment. Even with the various partners she'd...courted, during her time I Republic City, no one but her had entered it since she'd signed the contract. She could still remember that first night.

It had only been about two weeks since she'd left Zaofu, and her head was still stuck into a parasitic relationship with her heart, to the point where she was surprised she made the trip in one piece. She remembered that the only thing they provided her was a consolation blanket, seeing her so disheveled, as well as the knowledge that they wouldn't expect rent money until after she got a job somewhere (her first was in retail), at which point they would charge a bit more than usual to make up for lost payments. That first night...Kuvira remembered crying, and trying to write apology letters to her friends back in Zaofu. They might still be crumpled up on the floor somewhere.

The apartment was located in a middle-class district, but it was one of the lower-rent places within the sector, as it was all she could afford. It wouldn't be shown, and she really had nothing _to_ show anyway; Kuvira was a minimalist in that regard. Rather, she took them to the garage underneath the apartment complex, and to her own reserved spot. There, the surprise was hidden away under that same consolation blanket.

Giving little in the way of anticipation, Kuvira threw off the blanket and revealed her surprise. Team Avatar didn't know how to react, and not in a particularly good way; they just seemed confused. "It's...a motorbike?" Korra stepped toward it, cautious as if it would bite.

"Specifically, mine," Kuvira pat the handlebar. "I figured that all of us can't ride on your polar-bear dog to get around, so I fixed this up from my neglect for the past two years, give or take."

"And since when were you a motorbike expert?"

"What do you think I do in my spare time?" the watcher raised an eyebrow.

"I would've guessed 'reader'," Bolin swung onto it, fake-revving the engine.

"I do that a lot too, but my mind drifts to the mechanical; call it a side-effect of living in technologically-striving Zaofu for fourteen years," Kuvira bent the handle out of Bolin hand. "I started work on it once I established myself, figuring I would act as a nomad rather than staying in Republic City. Once I joined the force, those plans went down the tubes in an instant."

"So, does that mean it's custom-built?"

"Most of it, yes," Kuvira nodded. "It took a lot of manuals, and forking over Yuans for tips on how to build one, but with my metalbending it wasn't nearly as labor-intensive as I imagined. Granted, most of the work was incremental before I stopped. Once we formed this little team, I figured I should start working on it again for transportation purposes and...here we are. If I'd been thinking about it more, or if I hadn't forgot, I probably should've just finished it, given how close I was."

"Wow…" Bolin looked at the bike a bit more. "That's got to be...the longest I've heard you talk in one go since I've met you."

Kuvira frowned at that. "Facts are easy to talk about. For example; you have a pot-belly."

"Hey!"

Korra slid on next, as Bolin stood. "So, I guess two people can ride on this, and two people can ride on Naga?"

"That's the idea, Avatar," Kuvira examined the girl as she inspected (read: fiddled with) everything she could find. "I'm guessing you want to go for a test run?"

"You'd do that?"

"Anything for the Avatar," Kuvira scooted her back and slung herself into the front. "You two do whatever."

"Real specific," Bolin crossed his arms. Korra and Mako kissed goodbye.

"Tonight at the arena?" He kissed her again.

"Wouldn't dream of missing it," Korra waved as she and Kuvira pulled away.

xxxXXXxxx

"So, why a bike?" Korra's call was hard to make out over the wind. "Why not a normal Satomobile?"

"Back in Zaofu, the streets were so narrow and windy in most places that cars were a non-option; I just never switched."

"You really learned a lot there, didn't you?"

"It's where I was raised, so of course," Kuvira shrugged her shoulders as they came to a red light. The two were getting some odd looks from those in Satomobiles beside and behind them.

"Do you ever want to go back?" Korra's question was sudden, unexpected. Despite their relative closeness, Korra hadn't ever either had the patience, time, or interest to ask about Kuvira's past life, before Republic City. The watcher chuckled.

"Where is this coming from?"

"I mean, do you ever miss it?" Korra's rephrasing didn't answer Kuvira own inquiry.

The watcher considered it, turning down an alley so they could go slower. "I mean, of course I miss it sometimes, but I don't think I'd ever want to go back. It was a part of my life and I've moved on. I mean, would you want to go back to the Southern Water Tribe compound?"

"Well, no, but that's different."

"How?"

"Because I wasn't there because I wanted to be."

Kuvira frowned. "And how do you know the same wasn't true for me?"

"Because I know. You're not the type of girl to do something that she doesn't like to do, I think.

"Tch…" The two stopped to grab some food, sitting in the park. "...Korra?"

"Yeah?"

"If I ever went back...to Zaofu, I mean...would you come with me?"

Kuvira felt her cheeks get hot from the question. It would've been awkward no matter how she worded it, and truth be told she didn't even know why she asked. Of course she wouldn't; Korra had important Avatar business that didn't involve her watcher. And even if she could, she likely wouldn't want to.

"Of course I would. We're friends, and friends would there for each other."

Kuvira blinked, not expecting the response. "Friends…"

It was odd. She'd confirmed them as such within a week of knowing her. How had it not completely dawned on the watcher yet? Korra seemed to pick up on her confusion.

"You don't...have many friends, do you?"

"What tipped you off? Another feeling of yours?"

"No, you just seem responsible enough to keep up with any friends that you would have."

Kuvira sighed. "I have a fairly large list of acquaintances, but no friends. Acquiring some has never been high on my to-do list. Meeting you was an accident. A happy accident, but an accident nonetheless," Kuvira waited for a response, but it didn't come. Instead, she looked over to find Korra staring at her. "What?"

"Nothing...I just think Bolin was onto something earlier. You've been talking a lot more lately. Makes me wonder if we're finally breaking through that shell you've got around you."

"What shell?"

Korra chuckled. "Right, right…"

The reaction was an obvious indicator that Korra knew what was happening; Kuvira's denial. That she wasn't pushing it worried the watcher a bit. She was exactly the type of person to push for an answer, no matter how insensitive it might be. Though...maybe that she wasn't doing so was a sign. "You've grown a lot yourself," she tested the water. Korra flexed.

"Maybe I just had a good teacher."

Kuvira stared blankly. It might've been a sign of the Avatar's growth, or it might've been her messing with the watcher. She was beginning to bet heavily on the latter.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Hey guys, sorry this is like super late and that technically not much happened in this one. This week was super-busy at work, and stressful, and I had to work a split shift yesterday, meaning I had to stay up for over thirty hours and work two shifts in that time, and I had to stay an hour and half late last night to finish a job and...I'm just really tired.**

**In any case, I'm curious as to what you guys with think of this little system I've got Team Avatar on. Don't worry too much about the codenames themselves; they'll be explained as they're used, and I wouldn't think too hard about why the Avatar world has Greek letters; it makes about as much sense as them speaking English to me. Also, in case you were wondering; no, I didn't come up with a full list of combinations with unique names for each of them. Just for pairs (as in just groups of two people, and not three), there would be 64 unqiue combinations; 4 team members, two of which had two bending styles (Kuvira had earth and metal, Mako has fire and lightning), and Korra has all four elements, or will have all four elements (they already came up with ideas for 'air', in universe). Currently, I have like...twenty, if you were curious. If you have suggestions, PM me, and I can credit you.**

**...That note turned out longer than I wanted, so I'll stop. Be sure to tell me what you thought in a review, and I'll see you guys later!**


	13. Speak My Language

"Bo, Muddy Water alpha!" Korra and the earthbender burst into action against the enemy waterbender with Mako raining his own barrage on the earthbender. The firebender had already been taken out. And they still had a full minute to take them out within the second round. The opposing team seemed incredibly confused by their call-outs, so much so that it was at least partially throwing them off their game. The rest was done by the Fire Ferrets playing extremely well themselves.

They'd become very proficient at predicting each other's movements, to the point where they were worried about being too predictable, given that they could easily predict each other. Kuvira said not to worry about it, as their enemies wouldn't have fought against them as many times as they've fought against each other.

And , sure enough, the Fire Ferrets knocked out the opposing team just before the second round ended, securing their way to the semifinals. They came back to the locker room, and Kuvira, with huge goofy grins on their faces, and once they returned, they had a team huddle as they wound down. "I'm telling you guys; if we play like that for the next two weeks, then the championship is as good as ours!"

"Hell yeah!"Bolin cheers and jumped shook the three in their huddle.

"I'm so proud of us! Look at how far we've come in just a week. Think of how far we'll go with more time."

Kuvira stepped forward to join in, eager to give her own praise, as she thought they more than deserved it, but she was interrupted by the static of the speaker system blaring into the chamber. After a bit of static, an eerie silence, and then his voice came on.

"Good evening, fine people of Republic City," Amon's tone was as distant and calculating as ever. "I'm sure the excitement is in the air after tonight's thrilling pro bending match, and why would it not? It's the bender oppressors celebrating and forever perpetuating their own perceived greatness. If you didn't realize that this is what they're doing, I cannot blame you. They've done everything they can to hide it, to convince you all into believing that you were just as important to the process as any bender. But when was the last time a non-bender received such an ovation for their physical prowess? Or is it not as impressive since fireballs don't shoot from our hands?"

"What is he going on about now?" Mako put a hand on his hip, unimpressed by Amon's speech.

The madman continued. "I aim to put a stop to this frivolous show. It would be the easiest thing to boycott their products and merchandise but those results take years to see the light of day, and my brothers and sisters don't deserve to wait that long. I have one piece of advice, then; end the tournament now, and ban pro bending of any kind. Or else, come the championship, I will end it for you."

With that threat, static returned, followed by the announcer telling the now freaking-out crowd not to freak out. Team Avatar exchanged looks. Korra was the first to break the silence that formed as carnage raged with the audience attempting to leave in a mob. She sighed. "I guess it was pretty stupid to assume I could forget about the Equalists for a while…"

"Is it time for Team Avatar to spring into action?" Bolin flexed.

"A couple problems with that," Mako moved to the locker to remove his uniform. "First, we don't know where to look. Second, we'd probably be outnumbered when three of the four of us are exhausted from a match. Third, this is something the police should handle."

Kuvira nodded. "And I'm betting they already are. He addressed the whole of Republic City. I don't know how, but with his mysteriously large assets, I wouldn't put it past Amon to have tapped into the city-wide messaging system."

"Wouldn't he have had to break into the police headquarters for that?"

"Not if he can locate the correct wiring," Kuvira crossed her arms. "The Chief is probably already on it, and there's not much the four of us can do to help...for now."

Bolin slouched. "Ugh, if only they were out in the open! Then we could go show them who's boss!"

"Did you forget number two?" Mako removed his arm guards.

"Right, outnumbered, whatever..."

"Though, to Bolin's point, it would probably be beneficial to go exploring out in the city, maybe try and find some kind of clue?" Korra offered as she removed her own uniform. "I mean, we've got Vee's bike and Naga; might as well make good use of our rides, right?"

"Unfortunately, I didn't bring my bike tonight. And besides, you're all tired anyway," Kuvira shrugged, and then saw Korra's slightly disappointed look. "I'm not saying it's necessarily a bad idea, even if I wish we had more to go off of than just wandering around aimlessly. I just think that tonight isn't a good night."

"Oh come on; don't tell you're tired," Korra smirked.

"No. You are, even if you're too childish to admit it," the watcher crossed her arms, frowning.

"Pft, fine," Korra pouted. "So, Air Temple Island tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sounds like a plan to me," Bolin removed his uniform and stuffed it into his bag. Korra and Mako kissed goodbye, and then the women took their leave.

They made it to the boat back to the island before Korra broached another conversation, which was sign enough (how long it took anyway) that Kuvira was right that she wasn't at 100%. "So, did Tenzin or Beifong tell you about the council's decision on Amon?"

"Should they have?"

"Well, they told me."

"And you're the Avatar," Kuvira frowned again, and Korra recoiled slightly. "...Sorry, I guess I'm a bit tired too. Please, continue."

"It's fine," the Avatar waved it off as best she could. "So, they're going to tell the city that Amon is a bloodbender."

"Really?" Korra nodded.

This wasn't a move that Kuvira was expecting. Sure, she'd threatened that she'd tell the city herself, but Amon didn't seem fazed by the prospect, and Kuvira could understand why; she was one woman who went through a stressful situation. She wouldn't have been easily trusted. But if the entire city council agreed, then it was more than likely that public opinion would be then swayed against the Equalists.

"Though…" the Avatar sighed. "I'm still not sure I can believe it...bloodbending is a dead art, right?"

"Anything is possible, Korra."

"I know, but...it all seems so convenient," she leaned against the rail, pulling up a ball of water to play with; a habit she picked up from Kuvira with her metal slab.

"I've often found that convenience doesn't exist to nearly the extent that people think."

"How so?"

"Well, things that seem convenient for us might actually have been planned, or predicted more often. For example, it might be seen as convenient that Chief Beifong almost immediately succeeded her mother in the position; happenstance, at least to an outsider. But it's more likely that it was an inevitability, that she chose to do so for her own perfectly logical reasons."

"Is that what Beifong told you?" Korra smirked. Kuvira opened her mouth to speak, but shut it again. "I thought so."

"_Maybe not _this_ Beifong, but sure,_" the watcher looked out the bay with the Avatar. "That's not to say convenience doesn't exist, and that I'm not happy it does. After all, it was pretty convenient that you happened to tear through my beat on your first day here."

"True," Korra nudged her. "You just admitted that you're lucky to know me; you can't hide it now."

"I wasn't aware that it was a secret."

"Secret? No. Are you shy about it? Oh, most definitely."

"I am _not_ shy about anything," Kuvira turned to looked at the younger girl, but wasn't given the same respect back.

"Uh-huh. Sure you're not."

xxxXXXxxx

The announcement came more suddenly than Kuvira was expecting. Team Avatar had adopted the habit of bringing along a radio to their practices, with the express intent of catching the news of the bloodbending, but it just seemed like so odd a time to them. For the rest of the city, though, it was likely perfect.

In their schedule, it was around the middle of the day, given that they usually stay up well past midnight, but for the rest of the city, they were just getting off of work, meaning they'd likely have the radio on to relax before winding down for dinner and bed.

"Hello, Republic City," it was Tarrlok that came on the speaker. "I'm sure you're all aware of the terrorist cell known as the Equalists. Some of you may even have been swayed by their false ideals. I assure you that we are here to protect any and all of Republic City's citizens from their atrocities, bender or not. In that vein, we have some surprising news for you all, urgent news. The leader of the Equalists, a man named Amon, is a bloodbender. This has been confirmed by at least two trustworthy sources of ours that will remain undisclosed for their protection. This news brings with is grave implications; the Equalists are a sham, their leader is lying to his own followers, and all they want is to tear down this city piece by piece until they are all that's left. This is unacceptable, and we will not allow it. We will stop Amon. If you have any information, please bring it forward; it is the duty of all citizens to aid in this fight. This is a fight for our city, for our friends and our families. This is a fight that we must win. And we will, with your help. Thank you."

Kuvira herself was unimpressed, though she rarely felt otherwise when it came to obvious political rhetoric. It all just seemed so empty to her, though she may have been missing something. After all, despite her reaction, it wasn't hard to argue that she felt at least a slight pull to act from Tarrlok's insistence that it was a fight for their loved ones, not just their livelihoods.

Korra sighed, and Kuvira could bet why; she still didn't believe that it was true. In all honesty, if Kuvira was in the same boat she likely wouldn't either. Bolin seemed the most affected by Tarrlok's words, flexing and getting all antzy. "Oh, it just makes me want to _do_ something, you know? Come on, let's ditch practice and cruise the city, Team Avatar style!"

Eyes turned to Korra, who seemed to be mulling it over. "...We still don't know where they are…"

Bolin threw his hands up. "Oh, come on!"

To be fair, Korra's continual refusal to act was a bit...disconcerting. Mako was the one between the older members to bring it up. "Maybe we can get Tarrlok to give us some locations; try and work together with him?"

"Something tells me he doesn't want to share the spotlight with us."

"You could at least try. He likes you, more than us anyway," Mako seemed to be doing his best to sound considerate. "I mean, we need to do something, right?"

"Technically, we don't," Kuvira crossed her arms. "Korra is here for airbending training, I'm assigned to watch her, and you are her pro bending teammates. Nowhere in there says we have to fight terrorists. As well, we didn't ever formally commit to fighting them."

"I think it was implied."

"Do you not want to fight them?" Bolin moved closer, clearly confused. The question seemed directed at both of the women.

"I have no interest," Kuvira shrugged. "Leave it to Tarrlok and the Chief; they can handle it."

"Don't you feel like we have to pay them back for what they did to Korra? And to me?"

"You made a shady deal with a known-for-violence-type gang and got captured. Korra called them out and set _herself_ up for an obvious trap. If it's question of whether they deserve to pay for what they did, then the answer is 'obviously', but why should we be the ones to do it?"

"Vee, stop," Korra got their attention. "They're right; we need to start fighting back."

"But-"

"Whether we should have to or not, we're going to do it. I'm the Avatar; it's my duty to protect balance in the world, and Amon will _definitely_ throw it out of balance…" she sighed, thinking on it. "But right now, we're too held back by commitments. Vee is just my protector; she can't make these decisions or go it alone. And we're pro benders."

"You think that matters?" Mako frowned. "It's a game; the whole city is at risk!"

"I understand that, but...I mean, Hiroshi seemed to have a lot of faith in us, and pro bending is the one place where everyone can gather together in peace. Isn't giving people that little bit of respite just as important as saving them?"

The rest of the team shifted uncomfortably, because what she said was making a certain amount of sense. Kuvira was the first to break the silence. "So...what's the play here, then?"

Korra crossed her arms. "Let's forget about the Equalists for now until the tournament is over; judging from Amon's threat, it'll be _very_ soon after it ends that we'll have to start fighting back. Then, we can go full-in. By then, Tarrlok might be desperate enough to ask for our help. Even if he isn't, Tenzin will help, and I'm sure Chief Beifong will too..maybe…"

"I don't know…" Mako made a little bit a fire dance around on his alm as he thought. "You really think we can wait that long?"

"Yeah, I mean...what if someone gets hurt?"

"Then we'll help them. It's not like we can't still help people."

The three looked at the Avatar, all skeptic. Still, there was no further argument to be had. And when they'd accepted her answer, they all returned to practice.

Surpiginly, things worked out fairly well, in favor of Korra's plan, or rather lack thereof. The next week passed by without a hitch, with another easy win to land them in the finals against the Flying Wombats. With only a few days left to go until the championship, the Fire Ferrets were going into overdrive.

At this point, with all of them having felt a stagnation in their teamwork (though that could be construed into a good thing, as in that they're as coordinated as possible), they decided to work on their own solo efforts for now. Needing sparring partners, and with the team able to split into convenient teams of two, they decided to start pairing off based on straw draws; shortest goes with second shortest, and the longest goes with second longest. This worked out well for the few two days it happened; Bolin was with his brother on the first, and with Kuvira on the second, leaving the biggest personality conflict (between Kuvira and Mako) to the wayside. Not so on the third day, with only three to go before the finals.

The two were arguably the closest in terms of skill (though Kuvira would argue that Bolin matched his brother in potential, and Korra surpassed them all) but couldn't be more different in terms of style. Kuvira's excelled at going against single-targets, as she mixed offense and defense to strike consistently and accurately at whatever weaknesses presented to her. Mako's, meanwhile, was about survivability; a likely byproduct on his rough life on the streets. He attacked in bursts, with short yet focused shots, and always keeping his feet moving. The result was such; Kuvira consistently won their bouts.

She will readily admit, she hadn't really tasted repeated defeat since she was eight, so she may have forgotten the feeling. Still, Mako's growling and dirty looks were a bit uncalled for. She was sure that, if she'd asked, he would've said they weren't directed at her, but rather at himself. It would've been a load of hog monkey hide; she could tell.

"Damn it...shit…" he likely didn't even realize that he was muttering loud enough for the others to hear.

"Do you want to take a break?" Kuvira tried really hard to make it sound genuine, but there was really no way to ask without it being condescending.

"No, I don't!" his voice shot up to a yell, catching the others' attention mid-match. "Let's go again!"

The watcher put a hand on her hip and started walking away. "This is pointless."

"What? Am I not good enough for you? Or are you scared?"

"Provocation isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Mako, hey!" Korra rushed over as he was about to further insult Kuvira. "So you lost. What's the big deal?"

He growled in response. He stalked off, leaving the other three to stare after him. Bolin sat down. "He, uh...doesn't take losing very well."

"Obviously," Kuvira crossed her arms. "He truly _is_ still a child."

It may not have been surprising that Korra was the quickest to come to his defense. "It's not like he had a lot of good role models. Bolin?"

"Eh, the closest was Lightning Bolt Zolt, and he was, uh…"

"An asshole?"

"Pretty much," Bolin sighed. "I really don't like it when he gets like this; he's always so calm and collected and then there's just bam! This side of him comes out of nowhere."

"I'll say," Kuvira remained unconvinced.

"Something to work on then," Korra continued defending him. "And anyway, maybe this is a good thing; shows us that we should stop for a while. We need to rest our bodies for the finals, right? Let's cut the training here, at least full-team training."

"A wise decision," Kuvira nodded. "Especially if we're going to be going straight from the finals to Amon."

"Yeah…" Korra's attention wavered at the terrorist's mention. It was around this time that Mako returned. Korra met him before he returned to the group. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm good," he held hands with her and pecked her on the cheek, before separating, and addressing Kuvira. "I'm sorry about that. I lost my temper, and it was uncalled for."

The watcher raised an eyebrow, arms still folded across her chest. "...Just see to it that it doesn't happen again."

He frowned, but opted to accept the response. He turned to Korra. "I think we should call it quits for today."

She smiled. "Awesome, we were just thinking the same thing."

He smirked at that, locking arms with her. "Oh, so I guess my opinions really doesn't matter."

"You got that right, city boy. Come on," she started dragging him away. "We've only gone on one date and I'm about to change that."

"Hold it," Kuvira stopped them. "I'm going with you."

Korra furrowed her brow. "Uh...what?"

"I said I'm going with you."

Mako's frown turned into a light glare, which only deepened as the conversation went on. "Do you not trust me to protect her?"

"No, I don't," the watcher quickly tossed away the training gear she was using and approached them. Seeing their annoyed faces, she felt she needed to clarify. "The Equalists are becoming more and more bold; it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to assume they're looking for Korra to take her bending away."

"Oh, well, uh...if that's the case, how about you hang out with Bolin nearby?" Korra was obviously trying to get away from her watcher.

The young earthbender shook his head. "Nah, I got a date myself."

"Really?" Korra's eyes widened a bit, and the boy nodded, flexing again. Mako sighed. "Hey, having 'calm, cold, and callous' around won't be so bad."

"I won't intrude, if that's what you're worried about. Opposite ends of the restaurant, just within eyesight in the market; whatever."

"Well, okay…" Korra seemed more wary, as Mako looked frustrated. His glare was deep-seated at this point.

"Is this really necessary?"

"It is if I want to keep my job," Kuvira started toward the docks. "So are you coming or not?"

With a heavy sigh, Mako allowed himself to be taken out, with Korra trying her best to act casual. To her surprise, once they reached the city, her watcher hung back a good amount; like she'd said, just enough to be seen, nothing closer. Korra waved when she looked back to see this, but Kuvira didn't wave back. "See, this isn't so bad."

"Dates generally shouldn't be any kind of 'bad', you know. But...if it's with you, I'm good with whatever," he offered a smile, trying to be an understanding boyfriend. Korra started swinging their interlaced hands in an exaggerated manner.

"Alright, city boy; any ideas for where we want to go today?"

"Well...there's a noodle joint that I've heard is pretty good. Did you work up an appetite during practice?"

"I feel like I could eat a whole bison right now. Sometimes I feel like I'm eating for every Avatar that's ever lived."

Mako chuckled. "Then we'll have to fill up, won't we? Can't have you passing out during the finals, after all."

"Not too much," they turned a corner. "We _just_ got paid for last week, and it's still not much."

"Not a problem," Mako produced his wallet. "Mr. Sato is covering for meals until the tournament is over. I swear, we've got to be the luckiest people in the world for you to just run into him like that, and for him to be so interested."

"Yeah…" she looked over to him, and his grinning face in thinking about the non-bender's generosity. This was likely the most kindness however received in his life. That thought brought with it some guilt, in knowing that Korra had been faced with this generosity to similar extents all her life. Just because she was the Avatar. Her brow lowered into a glare, not directed at anyone in particular, at that thought; they probably didn't even like her in all that time. She shook her head, getting back to the conversation. "You should ask for a job from him, I think. We knows you're trustworthy, and talented, and basically everything else that getting a job involves."

He blinked. "You've never applied for a job, have you?"

"I've never applied for a job," she chuckled. "But I think you could still make something of it, right? He seems to like you, maybe see some of himself in you."

"You think?"

"Uh, yeah? You know, part of the reason he agreed to come and sponsor us is because I told him about you. He grew up poor too, and had a rough life. That changed when someone gave him some opportunity, just like he's doing for you."

"Yeah, but...I'm no inventor."

"Maybe not, but...anyone can change the world with enough ambition."

"Um…" Mako chuckled, not having a response, even as he clearly seemed satisfied with the compliment. Then he noticed; "Hey, we're here."

Kuvira saw them enter a small tavern/restaurant, and entered after them. Half of her was expecting that they dashed out the back to ditch her, but no; they just got a booth. Kuvira did as she said she would and kept her distance, taking a seat at the far end of the bar, where she could face the entrance and also keep an eye on them. When prompted, Kuvira just ordered a water, not wanting to embarrass herself by drinking on the job.

The time passed slowly, with people coming and going in the hour or so that the lovebirds spent conversing and eating. There was at least two bar fights, even before happy hour started, but the watcher kept her focus on the Avatar. Kuvira noticed a lot of pro benders during that time; it was likely that Mako heard about this place from one of them. Most didn't say anything to the two, some said hello and offered a 'good luck', and some of those were laced with sarcasm. As for why, that was answered the minutes that the White Falls Wolfbats entered, at the tail end of the date. Another few minutes, and it's likely that Korra and Mako would've left and this situation wouldn't have happened.

The Wolfbats, or more specifically their captain, Tahno, knew his competition well. If Kuvira had to guess, she would say he read up on the Fire Ferrets individually in terms of strengths, weaknesses, and matchups. At this point, on a good day, the only way Kuvira could see them being beaten in a match is via another team of equal skill individually, and even more team synergy. And if any team had that, it was the Wolfbats. Kuvira remembered their ruthlessness in the ring; playing against them was her only loss in her brief stint as a competitor.

But for people so talented, they were basically just a group of thugs. They knew they could get away with anything; the crowd loved them, the referees loved them, and thus they could do whatever they want, including what happened after Tahno noticed Mako and Korra.

The couple hadn't noticed, or more likely was trying not to notice, that the Wolfbats had entered. Everyone was avoiding eye contact with them, and making sure to keep a semblance of normalcy, lest they provoke them. That didn't fly for the lovebirds.

He grabbed a bottle of wine from another table as he waltzed toward them, flipped it in his hand, and them smashed it over the back of Mako's head. The firebender burst up, sensing the danger, only to have one of Tahno's lackeys bend the wine back up into his face; the shock sent him back into the chair.

"Mako!" Korra stood, ready for a fight.

"Korra, stop!" Mako held his hand out, just before she attacked. To Kuvira's amazement, Mako remained calm; she knew she wouldn't have been able to. He stood and wiped the sticky liquid from his face, a glare directed at his fellow pro bender. "You know the rules, Tahno; no fighting outside the ring."

"And I'm _real_ broken up about that; your head just happened to be where I was trying to uncork the bottle, you see," Tahno shrugged. "Tell you what: I can take the little lady off your hands, and you can go clean up. Sound good?" he reached for Korra's hand, but she swatted it away.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen."

"Oh?" the other Wolfbats moved toward her. "Got a fiesty one, then? You've got good taste, Mako. It'd really be a shame if you lost her so easily."

Korra looked ready to clock the two who were moving behind her. "Mako…" she looked to him for support, and he looked to be trying to think of a solution to the problem.

"But then again, is fighting me for her really worth giving up the tournament? I mean, she'll at least have a good time."

"Why don't you just back off?" the Avatar shook off her oncoming hands.

"Excuse me," another woman tapped Tahno's shoulder. The voice sounded a bit offended. "Why would you settle for a six when you can get a ten?"

Kuvira crossed her arms under her chest, puffing out her breasts to show them off. She aw Tahno glance down at them. "Ooh, hell-o there, miss…?"

"Just a friend, or at least," she pressed up against him, and got close to his ear. "I can be, if you stop staring at that second-rate whore," she leaned back as the pro bender wrapped an arm around her waist. "Why would you want that other guy's sloppy seconds in the first place?"

"I see you know how to speak my language," Tahno snapped his fingers, and the other two backed off from Korra. "Lay off, boys. Go have a drink, on me."

"Don't forget me," Kuvira smirked, batting her lashes at him.

"Oh, you won't need a price when I'm done with you."

There were several things wrong with this plan. First, it was possible that Tahno remembered her from her pro bending days; thankfully, he didn't. Second, this meant she had to go into a room alone with the idiot; thankfully, she had a few metal slabs in her pocket for situations like this. Third, he'd likely have her image in his head for a long time after; she'd have to make sure it was remembered with fear.

Still, for now she had to act the part, and the two started kissing. As shitty of a person as he was, Tahno was a good kisser. His tongue didn't bring the same sensations as when Lena had kissed her, but if she was straight, she would've been all over him from his expertise alone. Not to mention, he wasn't all that bad looking either. The two made it to a second floor room; Kuvira had no idea if they were allowed to be up here, but they were. It was likely the bar owner's room, meaning that, somehow, they hadn't seen or been notified of them coming up. Lucky.

Either way, Tahno, though he was good at this, was rough. The two practically smashed into the wall, Kuvira's legs wrapped around his waist and arms around his shoulders. He was holding one of her legs, rubbing up and down the thigh, while the other was searching under her shirt. He carried her to the bed, and all but dropped her, only to push in close pressing her into the mattress, having pinned her arms above her.

If Kuvira had to guess, she would say that Tahno always liked to be the dominant in this situation, like many men were. In her experience, they could get off to just about anything, and those that knew that were pretty open to whatever the woman wanted. Some weren't, but she would bet that Tahno was, and she was right about that. It made the next part easy.

She wrenched her arms up and threw him down, with her now on top. She kissed and kissed, slowly moving his arms to the bed frame above, and once they were there, she slid her metal slabs out and bent them onto his wrists. Immediately, she stopped kissing, and immediately, she crawled off of him.

"Oh, you're into this stuff, are you? I'm game," Tahno flipped his hair back into place. "But you're going to have to get me into my birthday suit for me."

"That won't be necessary," Kuvira fixed her hair, voice back to its normal inflection. "This is as far as we're going."

"What?" his reaction was as stupid as his face.

"Ever heard of a bitch?" Kuvira glared at him. "That's me. Serves you right for being such an asshole down there."

"What? All that was-"

Kuvira's shirt and pants had been removed during the make-out session. She started putting them back on. "Do you seriously think any woman had slept with you for your personality? Either they want bragging rights for scoring with you, or they were threatened."

"You...you tricked me!" he tried to free himself from the restraints, but they would hold; Kuvira made sure of it. He spat fire from his mouth, but it wasn't able to go far enough to even heat her up. "Get me the hell out of here!"

"Not happening. You're going to stay here, and then have to explain yourself to the owner. You're lucky I don't arrest you, and the only reason I'm not is because this," she chuckled at her work, "Is far more satisfying."

"I'll report you! Police brutality!"

"Sure, knock yourself out," the watcher adjusted her shirt one last time, glanced into the mirror, and then went to the doorway. "Oh, and if I can ask a serious question for a minute."

"Go fuck yourself!"

"..." Kuvira sighed. "I see I'd be wasting my breath."

And then she left.

xxxXXXxxx

Korra stared after Kuvira as she went with Tahno up the stairs. The look on her face was so...odd. She acted so straight-laced around her, so composed. To see this other side of her, whether it turned out to be fake or not, was just unsettling. Korra waterbent the wine off of Mako and out of his clothes, especially his scarf, and the two sat back down, trying to ignore the stares directed both at them and the remaining Wolfbats.

Korra wasn't stupid; she knew who they were and what attacking them would have meant, even though it probably would've made her feel a lot better. Even if she wasn't the Avatar, and even though she hadn't really done much yet in her tenure of such, but even she knew that she didn't deserve to be so...itemized. She wasn't some 'thing' for the boys to fight over.

Mako sighed. "...I'm sorry for not helping back there. My mind was...jumbled."

It was understandable enough, especially when Korra's own solution was to beat the snot out of them and forfeit the tournament. She offered a smile. "It's okay. How's your head?"

He reached back when they hit him; his fingers came back red. "Bleeding," he reached for the stack of napkins at the table and pressed a wad into the impact point. "Just hope I don't lose any hair…"

"Yeah, that would be the real tragedy, she leaned him, both lightly laughing. "...So...are we just going to act like that didn't happen?"

"I suppose...it's not like we can do anything about it."

"Well, once we beat them, then they won't be able to pull stunts like that. It's not fair."

Mako shrugged. "You get used to it."

"That's doesn't make it right! The Wolfbats shouldn't-"

"I wasn't referring to them," Mako's gaze went to his glass, partially spilled from the encounter. The comment quieted Korra, who was loud enough to alert the remaining Wolfbats, though they didn't move against them. It also made her start thinking.

"...Criminals?"

Mako nodded. "You know me and Bo lost our folks. After that, we fell in with some rough people, pickpockets, gangs, thugs," he chuckled. "Honestly, I'm surprised that I turned out as good as I did, even with my issues."

"..."

"Anyway, there was this guy, leader of the Triple Threats, named Lightning Bolt Zolt. He was a...piece of work."

"He was one of the ones who got his bending taken away," Korra recalled, swishing her own drink with her straw. She watched his reaction to that statement; she wanted some idea as to his feelings on the man before she commented on his character. Mako did nothing; his expression unreadable. "...Do you have anything to say on that?" he shrugged. "Do you think he deserved it?"

He took a deep breath. "If I said he did, then I would have say that I do too."

And now Korra was torn; on one hand, honesty is good. On the other, now she knew that he was not only associated with criminals, but was a member and was violent. Great. But, as well, she knew he wasn't a bad person. If he was before, he's trying to be different now. She placed her hand on his. "I'm sorry...it must've been so hard. I...I can't even imagine."

"Then don't," Mako stood, dropping the bloody napkins on his plate; it was rude, but it was the waiter's job to take care of it. Besides, she didn't have to touch them. "Hey, let's ditch this place. I've got someplace I want to show you."

The two exited the restaurant without Kuvira having returned; she came later. They went to the richer quarters, where the taller buildings were. "What do you want to show me?"

"You'll see," Mako looked around. "Perfect time, too."

Korra raised an eyebrow, but allowed herself to be led along the broad and ornate streets. Eventually, they came to a clocktower. Technically, the official city clocktower was located at city hall, but this one was placed at the request of the people who lived in the area. Korra would consider them selfish, but they agreed to pay for it with higher taxes, so, if anything, they just provided more jobs. Thinking on it, Korra doubted that there were many nonbenders allowed to work on it; earth and metalbenders would be so much more efficient.

Mako took them up to the very top, up several (counting 68, off of one hilariously sized building) flights of stairs, until they finally came to a small walkway which led into the bell area. Surprisingly, there was a bench there. "This...can't be legal."

"It isn't, but the guy who owns the building likes pro bending a lot; he lets us up here. Though...I mean, I've been coming here a lot longer than that."

"Whatever you say, city boy," they sat on the bench and looked out to the city below. Korra could just see to the bay from here, but only the water. "You know, this might be the first time since I came to Republic City that I'm outside and can't see Air Temple Island."

"You've never tried to explore?"

"I haven't really had the time," she leaned into him. It felt nice, not having to put on her tough face. "I think you might be working us too hard, captain."

"You think? I think we should be working a bit harder," the threat was a clear joke, from his tone. Korra grimaced.

"Oof, please no," the two chuckled, and sat there for a moment. "So...what are our chances of winning?"

"Slim," Mako was never one to mince words. "They're tough."

"So are we."

"But they've been at this longer. They're the four-time reigning champions; we're a pack of rookies."

"..."

"...I'm sure we'll be fine, though," Mako shrugged. "And yeah, if we give it our all, and if we put on a good show, I can walk away happy. Best to enjoy it while we can, you know?"

"Truer words, friend."

"And hey, worse comes to worse and we tie-break them, I can handle it."

"You sure? Tahno seemed...confident."

"And I'm not."

"Well, yeah, but lately...uhm…" Korra avoided the confused stare he gave her. "Well...you've kind of been off your game for a while."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I haven't really seen you do as well as you did when I first saw you. Maybe it was just because it was that first encounter and it was all so new and interesting and exciting for me, but I don't think so. You were something else, and now...I'm just…" he stare persisted. "Y-you know what? Never mind; it's probably just my imagination."

For a moment, it seemed that the subject was dropped. The conversation steered to Korra's airbending training, and how she was failing utterly in actually producing a gust of wind. Mako then jerked it back. "Things were a lot simpler before you came along," he sighed. "And that's...that's not to say it hasn't been fun to have you around; you're great and I'm really grateful to know you and be dating you and stuff, but...I can't help but feel like I wouldn't have to deal with this whole mess of the Equalists if I hadn't."

"Mako…" Korra put a hand on his cheek. "You don't have to follow me everywhere. You can stay out of this if you want. I would understand."

He smiled, grasped her hand, and lowered it. "I know you would. But I would hate myself just a little bit more if I abandoned you like that. Besides, I still owe them for taking Bolin like they did, right?"

Despite his reassurance, Korra remained troubled. "...You don't have anything to prove. You know that, right?"

"What?"

"Like, you don't have to show me how kind or how strong you are. I know. You don't need to prove it."

"I don't-"

His response was cut off as some audio feedback blared through the city-wide speaker system. Korra jumped up from the bench. "Dammit, Tenzin said they secured it!" she leaned over the rail to hear it better. Soon, the feedback ended and a faint static was heard, before Amon spoke.

"Greetings, good citizens of Republic City. I call to you tonight to address some recent falsehoods fed to you by your pitiful leaders. Notably, their claims that I am a bloodbender. I'm sure you heard it, and while it does sadden me to be reminded of how petty the bending establishment can be, I also have enough faith in my followers, my family, to be undeterred. They know it to be a lie, as should you. But for those skeptical, I would ask you to think through it for a moment. If I was a bloodbender, I would require a full-moon to use my bending; the past two full moons, I was inactive in the public eye. Assuming I somehow could bend without one, what would stop me from simply using it to take over the whole city in a single night? I could kill all of the oppressors. I could subdue those who would stand against me with but a few waves of my arms. One could make the argument that I wouldn't want to, that it would make a monster of me, and I'm certain that that is what the benders hope to accomplish by spreading this lie. Just as all of their lies about our cause have failed, that we are a cult, that we are evil, that we must be crushed at all costs to preserve the peace, I believe this lie will blow past in similar fashion."

Korra blinked. She wasn't exactly sure of what would happen when his being a bloodbender was announced. Korra didn't exactly believe it herself, so she could only imagine how others would feel in just being told by people that they didn't know, and probably didn't like if they did know them. Now, with a simple speech, Amon had reversed any progress against him with that move.

"Now then, onto the main event. I announced a few weeks ago that the pro bending tournament was to be cancelled, lest there be grave consequences. Information regarding the event have come out since then; ticket sales are down by fifty percent, projected radio listeners are down by thirty percent. This is good, but not good enough. I know that you all have come to your senses, but are perhaps too scared of the benders and the bending establishment to come out. This is understandable; aligning with our ideals is becoming more and more of a crime with each passing day, even as our message spreads and spreads to more and more minds. Soon, it will be a crime to simply be a nonbender. Your conditions will worsen until you are snivelling, decaying wretches on the side of the road. I refuse to let that happen to the good people of this city, to _my_ people. The beginning of that is to take the benders' self-glorification away from them. If the finals go on as scheduled, expect a drastic action. Expect a bomb. Bending establishment, government, police, or whatever other foolish non-believers there are, I implore you; try and stop us. You will not be able to. You are better off heeding our demands. But with that, I bid you all a goodnight. It will be interesting to see what revelations tomorrow brings for us all."

The static returned, followed by feedback, followed by silence. Korra looked back to Mako, whose eyes were wide with shock. A bomb. That it was said so brazenly was enough to label it as a legitimate threat.

The mood ruined, the two returned to their respective homes, knowing that whatever they were talking about had to be put on hold for the more pressing matter.

They had to seriously think about their priorities.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**It feels like a lot longer than ten days since I uploaded something. In those ten days...this is what I've got. It's a lot of transitional stuff. Yay...**

**If it makes you feel better, I haven't worked on my own book in like a month, which hurts to even say, but it's true. Work has been rough lately, and it's not showing signs of slowing down, but...c'est la vie.**

**In any case, I still like this chapter. It has some good character stuff, and it features Kuvira being awesome in totally playing a bitch. In regards to that bitch, yes I changed Tahno to be a firebender. It'll make more sense next time...or maybe the time after that; I haven't decided. As for the rest fo the chapter...I don't have a lot to say, mostly because I don't remember a whole of lot about writing it. Work, sorry.**

**With that, I will leave you. Let me know what you thought in a review, and I'll see you guys next time, hopefully within a sooner timespan. See ya!**


	14. Chapter 14

The next day, Team Avatar attempted to go about it as normal, but there was a lot more tension in the air than usual. It was like someone was slowly choking them, sucking the air out until they had to start fighting back, lest they be killed.

Then they saw Tenzin leaving the island. It was too late for him to be going out normally, and Korra knew that. She darted away from practice, quickly found out that he was going to a sudden meeting with the council to determine what should happen with the pro bending finals, and she forced her way there as well, along with the rest of Team Avatar.

They had so little prep time that they were still in their practice uniforms, also provided by Hiroshi Sato. One can imagine the looks they received when they got there.

Tarrlok raised an eyebrow. "This was to be a closed meeting, Tenzin," his tone was of warning, and indicated annoyance.

"We cannot legally bar the Avatar from attending," Tenzin huffed, not sounding happy about it himself. He took his place and the meeting began.

Kuvira looked over to said Avatar, whose look of determination was what ultimately swayed the old airbender into taking them. That look was gone, replaced by a neutral look, tending to nervousness. It appeared like she was trying really hard not to look unprofessional. Tarrlok sighed, not bothering to fight on whether the rest of Team Avatar was allowed.

"Very well," he bagned his gavel. "The meeting begins. The issue today is an urgent one; the Equalist threat against the pro bending championship match."

"Cancel it," the other Water Tribe representative immediately interjected. The others soon 'here, here'd to that.

"Now, wait a second," Mako stood.

"The gentleman has not been recognized," Tarrlok warned.

"How about the Avatar?" Korra stood, staring Tarrlok down. Kuvira watched the girl closely, noticing the barely detectable tremor in her knees as she stood up to this authority. It was odd; the only other time Kuvira had seen her as scared of anything was in relation to the Equalists and Amon, yet she'd interacted with and worked with this man for at least a few weeks with little issues except ranting about his pompousness when out of earshot of him. It was entirely possible that she just felt awkward, given that she left his task force hanging to dry without so much as a day of warning, and Tarrlok demonstrated himself to be understandably annoyed. In fact, it wouldn't surprise Kuvira if that was the case, given the girl's isolated upbringing and how she wasn't really comfortable dealing with awkward or tough social scenarios yet.

All that said, Kuvira wouldn't have had the stones to be so brazen about flaunting the Avatar title, so credit where credit is due in terms of bravery.

Tarrlok growled a bit and muttered under his breath, but nodded acknowledgement of her for the council. Korra took a deep breath, likely collecting her thoughts and calming her nerves. To Kuvira surprise, Korra's first argument was one of legality. "What gives you all the right to cancel a private event? Isn't the Pro Bending Institution its own-"

"The Republic City council retains exclusive right to cancel, alter, or bar any event if we deem it to be unsafe for those attending," Tarrlok smirked, easily shooting down her argument. Korra didn't lose stride.

"But have you considered that you might be playing right into Amon's hands? He wants the council to be afraid of him; he wants benders to fear him and for nonbenders to rally to his cause. That might happen anyway, but why accelerate that by submitting to him based on a little threat?"

"That 'little threat' could cause hundreds of casualties, Korra," Tenzin stroked his beard. "I'm sorry, but I have to agree with Tarrlok."

"Thank you, Councilman Tenzin," the waterbender bowed his head toward the older man. "If there are no other opinions on the matter, we will have a vote."

Almost as soon as he said that, the door burst open. In walked Chief Beifong. The room when silent as she entered; it seemed she commanded as much respect with the council as she did with her officers. She stopped in front of them, hand on her hip. "Let me guess; Tenzin is being a coward again."

Mako was quick to jump on it. "He thinks we should cancel the event."

Bolin jumped in, literally. "Along with the rest of them!"

Beifong raised an eyebrow. "...Who are you?"

"We're the Fire Ferrets!" Bolin puffed out his chest, and then tapped the logo to make it light up (yes, they were even on the practice uniforms). "Sponsored by Future Industries."

"Don't care, look," she turned back to the council. "This is exactly what Amon wants you to do. It's my opinion that _whatever_ he wants you to do, you do the opposite."

Tarrlok huffed. "That argument has been presented and shut down. The safety risk is too high to justify-"

"You're assuming that you'd do nothing if you allow it to go on. Typical kid; always thinking linearly," Lin smirked, and Tarrlok obviously didn't appreciate the comment, as his lips tightened and his face went red. Kuvira was shocked at the tone that Beifong was taking with him, considering her position below him. "I can have police all over that stadium; airships, a blockade in the bay, a roadblock after the event starts; the whole shebang. If Amon wants to try and attack, I say 'let him'. It'd save us the trouble of tracking him down."

"That sounds like a great idea!" Korra grinned. "That way everyone can be safe!"

"Chief, if I may," Kuvira bowed her head. "Maybe, between now and then, you could sweep the stadium to look for if a bomb has been placed already."

"Excellent idea. I can count on you for that, I hope," Beifong popped a gloved hand onto her shoulder, with the five looking to the council. Tarrlok was the only one who still seemed to be fully against it; Tenzin was impossible to read. He was stroking his beard, deep in thought. The others seemed ready to accept; it made Kuvira wonder why they were there if not to be sheep to be herded in different directions.

Tenzin took a breath. "They make a compelling argument."

"Tenzin, please," Tarrlok raised a hand. "And all of you; I think you're being a bit lenient. It sounds good in practice, but-"

"Tarrlok, you're outvoted," Korra crossed her arms, satisfied.

The councilman looked around, considered for a moment, and sighed. With that, the emergency meeting came to a close.

xxxXXXxxx

Team Avatar was set to scour the stadium for the rest of the day. Bit obviously wasn't very rewarding work, especially because they didn't end up finding anything notable besides a limited edition Wolfbats hat from their first year . Kuvira saw Bolin wear it when they found it, after Korea washed it off, of course.

Still, after that riveting find, that left over half of the stadium and a large majority of the halls and tunnels connecting everything to look through. And, of course, the most logical pairing for the task was Kuvira with Mako, in a small tunnel, for hours.

Kuvira was no stranger to awkward situations. In fact, one of her first assignments when she joined rd the metalbending police was aiding an investigation on some big corporation, during which had to stake out the CEO as he indulged in his...vices. She watched him polish his sword, is the takeaway.

That said, at least she was alone and in an entirely separate area from him when it happened. Here, she was stuck. She couldn't leave for the sake of both her pride and because she'd be abandoning the task that was set out for her. And he wasn't _saying_ anything. That was the worst part. He didn't say and single thing to her until sunset. When it finally happened, it was actually a bit more respectful than Kuvira was expecting. "So...how good do you think our odds are?"

She blinked, not sure what he meant. "Against which opponent?"

"Start with the Wolfbats," he said back, voice noncommittal. "Do you think we can win against them?"

Kuvira considered the question. To her, there was no doubt that they could if the stars aligned just right. As far as overall skill went, Kuvira would say that they have the Wolfbats beat by a mile, but probending was more than skill. It was about synergy, and tactics. Those were areas that Team Avatar was improving at, st a rapid rate. But whether it would be enough to face experts pike the Wolfbats…

"It depends on the day. If you're at your best, then it should be easy."

That didn't seem to be the answer that Mako was looking for. He grumbled a bit and turned away from her.

"Assume I saw that," she said, standing up as much as she could in the cramped space. "You obviously have something to say, Mako," He ignored her at first, until she bent a bit of earth near his hand, startling him. She stood and glared. "We don't like each other. This has been established. What's stopping you from moving on from there?"

"You are. You're butting on both front. You hang around Korea constantly, to the point where it seems like you're just stalking her and now you're getting in my little brother's life? Who asked you to do that?"

"Bolin did," Kuvira said, crossing her arms indignantly. "And so I helped him."

"Well, you shouldn't have."

"Do you honestly think he's worse off because of my influence? His bending-"

"His bending isn't who he is. If he becomes like you-" Mako caught himself before it escalated further. The break in tension jerked Kuvira back to reality. Once again, and very much despite herself, she was impressed with his level of restraint. "...I want you to stop giving hike lessons."

"Excuse me?"

"You said you'd do one thing that we asked of you. This is mine. I can't get rid of you, but I don't want Bolin hanging all over you either."

Kuvira frowned. She wanted to tell him that the younger brother wasn't doing that anyway, bit refrained as she understood the tactic. What Mako was asking wasn't stopping an action already in motion, it was preventing the action from getting started.

"...when he finds out that you asked this…" Kuvira had never seen Bolin angry, but if it was her whose life was being manipulated behind her back, well...there would be hell to pay, and there was. "Never mind. I suppose it isn't my problem. Korea is the only person on this pathetic excuse for a 'team' that I care about at all anyway. Tell you what, probending champion; go rest before your big match in a few days."

"But-"

"I work best alone anyway," she stopped him before he could protest, and turned away from him, beginning to search behind wires and underneath crevices as she'd been doing for the past several hours.

Mako clicked his tongue, but didn't say anything more before he left.

xxxXXXxxx

The finals were just hours away. The Fire Ferrets versus the Wolfbats, the underdogs versus the reigning champions. Despite Amon's threat, the stadium was absolutely flooded with eager spectators. Kuvira almost couldn't believe how lax everyone was about the very real terrorist threat that the Equalists posed to them.

Still, she knew she shouldn't be so worried, and in fact she really wasn't. As Beifong had said, there was a massive blockade of ships surrounding every dock in the bay, as well as straight-up blocking off the entrance to the bay so no ships from outside sources could get it. As well, airships patrolled all around the stadium, almost in excess. Finally, over half of the police force was within the stadium itself or in the immediate area. Even Tenzin was there, as extra protection.

Kuvira arrived on her bike just as the viewers started pouring in, stopping where the police had been funneling people to, likely to identify them. She stopped and moved her helmet. "It's been a while, Sokan," she nodded to the man in uniform, who smiled back at her as he took the bag slung on her back and looking inside it.

"How's the new assignment?" he asked, rifling through the bag.

"Better than working with you, partner," she returned, giving a light smirk which he returned, along with her bag. He pat her on the shoulder.

"Glad you like it then. Go on through."

Kuvira nodded to him and the other officers there. She recognized some of them, but most were from the eastern precinct on the far side of town. It was fine; they all ultimately obeyed Beifong, but Kuvira herself would've felt a bit more secure with people she'd seen nearly everyday.

She slid inside the small garage, more a loading dock for supplies really, and then made her way to the practice room. She saw the Fire Ferrets already there, working tirelessly, which wouldn't do. "Alright, that's enough," she called to them, tossing the bag to Bolin. "Freshen up and rest up while you can. Don't overdo it."

"You got it, Sifu!" Bolin took out a big jug of water and started gulping it down. Kuvira rolled her eyes at the title, but accepted it as she walked over to Korra. "How are you feeling? Nervous?"

"Aren't you?" Korra asked right back, only to get a raised eyebrow in response. "You have _that_ much faith in Beifong?"

"_In _that _Beifong, yes,"_ Kuvira wanted to say, but couldn't. "Korra, _something_ is going to happen tonight. Being frazzled isn't going to help us deal with it."

"I know, I know...you're still weird for not freaking out about it," the Avatar muttered, accepting a jug from Bolin. As she drank, she noticed her watcher eyeing Mako. "Hey, eyes to yourself," she smirked as between sips. Kuvira grunted in response. "Hey, whatever is you said to him...it's been really getting to him."

"I didn't say anything to him," Kuvira returned. "_He_ said something to _me_. And it'll be left at that."

"Vee...don't be stubborn."

"I'm _not_ stubborn," she glared at the younger girl.

"Okay, fine; _whatever_ happened, you two need to work it out."

"Korra, there's nothing _to_ work out," Kuvira sighed, feeling like this conversation was going in circles. "I'll be right back. I'm going to go touch base with Beifong and Master Tenzin in the stands," she quickly ducked out before Korra could argue further.

Korra watched her go, confused as to her behavior. "What's up?" Mako asked, approaching.

Korra shrugged, sipping her drink. "Missy's in a huff, I guess," she offered. "You think this is how she shows 'frazzled'?"

"Do you want an honest answer?" he asked. She giggled at that, knowing he was going to backhand her if she said 'yes.

"I'll pass, city boy. Are you feeling okay?"

"About as good as I can, considering the circumstances," he shrugged. "How about you?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was freaking out a little?"

"I'd be worried if you didn't," Mako smiled, and the two kissed. Bolin came up behind them and brought them into a bear hug.

"Aw, this is nice."

Mako scowled. "Yeah, Bo, can you let go, please?" his tone was a bit too forceful. The younger brother quickly picked up on it, and obeyed immediately.

"Oh, s-sorry…" he offered a sheepish smile. Mako's scowl held for a few more seconds before it faded.

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just...stressed."

Korra put a hand on her hip. "So much for 'as good as I can,' huh?"

"Sure," Mako pinched the bridge of his nose. "I don't know, guys. Maybe we should just call this off."

"But Mako-"

Before any argument could be made, the referee popped in. "Fire Ferrets; ten minutes to be there."

Korra blinked. "That fast?" she shook her head. Mako looked ready to quit, to leave. She grabbed his hand. "Come on, city boy. We've got a city to impress."

With that declaration, the trio made their way to the locker rooms and quickly changed. Outside, the stadium was absolutely packed, as in every single seat that Korra could see was full of excited people. The announcer was amping everybody to have a great night, and Korra couldn't help but get a big goofy grin on her face. "This was the right move," she decided aloud. The bending brothers looked at her. "Look at them," she gestured to the crowd. "They're happy. I can't remember the last time I've seen so many people with so little care."

"It won't last," Mako barely looked, just glanced and went back to his uniform. Korra frowned at that, but didn't say anything. Instead, her eyes went back to the crowd. It was enough to brighten her mood, even after all of the crazy stuff that had happened since she got the Republic City. This decision, to join the Fire Ferrets, was worth all of the effort.

Then she spotted Tenzin. He was standing near of the larger entrances alongside Chief Beifong. He looked stern as always, and a little bit tense. That was enough to remind her of the actual situation they were in. Once she spotted him, she noticed the multitude of police officers scattered within the stands, and saw the airships hovering above the glass ceiling. The stadium, she realized, was on lockdown.

Footsteps were heard from behind, and Kuvira soon entered, looking neutral as always, at least to the untrained eye. The watcher's were darting around, looking for threats. Korra realized that she must've been equally stressed as Beifong, if not more. If something were to happen to her, it would be on Kuvira, after all.

"Team Avatar, huddle!" she tugged Mako closer, hand outstretched. The others came quickly, knowing they had precious little time before the match started. Kuvira and Bolin put their hands on the pile, and Mako took the top. "Hey, this is meant to be a fun night. This is everything we've been working toward, right?"

"Well, sure, but-" Mako started.

"No buts! We're going to go out there and kick some hide, and give these people the show they deserve. Whatever happens tomorrow doesn't matter. Right? At least for now?"

The other Fire Ferrets offered a smile, while Kuvira just stared. Korra nodded as the bridge extended out to their corner. The Wolfbats were already sauntering across to raucous applause and fanfare.

Kuvira stayed behind, obviously, but she caught the flicker of doubt flash across Korra's gaze as she eyed the ceiling, like she was worried that the sky was going to fall.

The two teams met in the center, exchanged banter, and then went to their respective sides. The moment before the match start stretched to an eternity. Korra's eyes kept flickering to her surroundings. Bolin couldn't make up his mind as to how he wanted to hold himself, and Mako was glaring straight ahead of him, itching for a fight.

Then, before any of them were truly ready, the bell sounded and the match began.


	15. Chapter 15

Everything went wrong very quickly. By the end of the first round, the Fire Ferrets were running out of juice on the _defensive_, and even then both Korra and Mako were forced back to zones three and two respectively. Kuvira found herself biting her lips as the competitors repositioned themselves to neutral for the second round.

She saw them work. They weren't coordinated. They weren't picking up on each other's cues, nor responding to their callouts. Honestly, it was a wonder that they even survived the first round, and that could all be contributed to Bolin, who seemed to be the only one paying attention. Kuvira wouldn't be surprised if he was in the Zone. He was playing out of his mind throughout all of round one, and was making the act of picking up the others' slack look effortless.

Between rounds, however, that couldn't have been further from the truth. His chest was heaving madly as the others returned to zone one. She knew that he wouldn't be able to do what he'd done in every round. Part of her hoped that it would end quickly so he wouldn't have to and risk injuring himself.

Round two started off on another bad note. Korra and Mako were once again acting distracted. At least, Korra was. Mako just looked to not be paying any attention to his teammates. "Call a time-out!" Kuvira called to them. She knew it'd distract them, but she still felt it was for the best if they wanted any kind of fighting chance at this championship.

Thankfully, no injuries were had in calling it. The bridges extended again, and the Fire Ferrets returned. Kuvira pointed to Mako and Korra. Mako didn't even try to look composed, and held a glare on his face when he looked at the watcher. Korra's eyes were still darting. "Guys…" the Avatar couldn't even muster any enthusiasm.

"I knew this was a mistake…" Mako shook his head, removing his helmet and getting some water. "Let's just end it quickly," he said after he drank. Bolin looked to want to say something, but he refrained. So Kuvira did it for him.

"If you're going in with that kind of attitude, then you should just forfeit," she crossed her arms. "Maybe you should go in believing you could win."

"Not likely," Mako frowned, as if not meaning to admit it. He put his helmet back on. "Come on."

Korra followed, giving Kuvira a cautious glance as she joined her boyfriend. Bolin started to follow. "You, stay," she grabbed his arm. All of the Fire Ferrets looked back.

"Don't tell me you want to step in for him," Korra questioned. "You know you can't do that."

"I'm aware," Kuvira said, unamused. "I want to talk to him."

"Me? Sure, I guess," Bolin didn't pick up on the dirty look Mako was throwing toward them.

"You said-" he started.

"I know what I said. This will be the last time," she assured him, hoping it was true. Even if she didn't like Mako or his request, it still hurt to go back on her word. With a huff, Mako went back to the arena, with Korra following him.

"...What was _that_ about? It seems like I'm being kept out of the loop on some stuff," Bolin's eye flickered with doubt.

"Focus," Kuvira frowned at his own distraction. He blinked, but then nodded.

"Then, what's up?" Bolin put his hands on his hips expectantly.

"Quite frankly, you're their only hope," Kuvira crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "They're distracted and none of you are following the protocol you've worked so hard to cultivate."

"Well, I'm trying…"

Kuvira realized she misworded. "I know, Bolin," she put a hand on his shoulder. "What I'm saying is that they're _not _trying. Korra is distracted, and we all know why. Mako is...Mako. You need to pick up the slack for them. Remember what you've been working on; pressure, and using your offense as a defense. Use it as theirs for this match; focus on keeping the heat off of them, if you can."

He nodded. "I'll try. Pure defense; a rock wall, right?"

She smiled. "Exactly, Bolin. And _try_ not to get a concussion in the process, hm?"

He gave a goofy grin and a thumbs-up at that, and jogged back to the arena. Within a few seconds, the bridges were retracted and the bell sounded for the match to resume.

The good news was that prior to the time-out, no player was knocked back at all, so they were still completely neutral. More good news, Bolin was mostly successful in protecting his teammates, and they slowly started gaining momentum.

The bad news: Korra was knocked back to zone two, which forced the Fire Ferrets to go on the offensive to at least get a tiebreaker before the round ended. If they couldn't, then it was all over for them.

Bolin recognized this and, cleverly, broke his mandate and went all-out for the last ten seconds of the match, focusing his fire onto Tahno. After a triple barrage of earthen discs, the Wolfbats' captain was sent back to zone two, right as the bell sounded for the round to end. As per the rules, that meant that the round would be decided in a tiebreaker. The coin flip even went into the Fire Ferrets' favor. Good, and Bolin was stepping forward. If he was the one doing the tiebreaker, that gave them the best chance of winning. While the Wolfbats' earthbender was solid, he wasn't outstanding like Tahno, and was likely their weakest link.

"Okay guys, I can clean up in-" Bolin took a few steps toward the center circle, but Mako forced him back.

"Hey, you don't get to just make the decision, Bo," Mako said, a bit forcefully. "Who do you think you are?"

"Bro, I was just-"

"You don't get to pretend that you're better than us because you've been getting lessons from miss prodigy over there," Mako continued, getting really close to Bolin, specifically to intimidate him. Bolin didn't look scared as much he was confused and a bit hurt at the outburst.

"Mako, I-"

"I need your decision," the referee interrupted. Mako didn't even miss a beat as he stepped forward.

"We choose fire," he announced, and Tahno smirked, stepping into the center circle along with Mako. Kuvira pinched the bridge of her nose as she watched. Korra stepped closer to Bolin, whose head was down.

"I'll talk to him after this," she assured, though her voice sounded like she wasn't all there. "Have you noticed anything out of place?"

He shot her a hurt glance. "What? Have you even been focusing on the match at all?"

She avoided looking back at him. She figured that it would be best to leave it there rather than get into an argument.

The two firebenders stood facing each other, and a tense moment passed. The bell sounded, and the flames began spreading.

Each bender wove expertly around the other's bursts, dancing around the edge of the circle. Tahno went for a grab, but Mako rolled right out of the way, sending a quick blast toward him as he did. Tahno nearly fell off from it, but then retaliated twice as hard as Mako was getting up. The bending brother barely diffused the blasts, and readied to send some of his own, before he was nailed in the chest, sending him tumbling off of the center circle.

Even though she technically had no stake in this game, she couldn't help but feel her heart sink when she saw it happen. With that, the Fire Ferrets lost the match and the championship title. The crowd went wild for the Wolfbats, their reigning champs seizing another victory.

The celebration didn't last very long, in fact not even a minute. Kuvira didn't even get the chance to think 'what were we even worried about, of _course_ Amon wouldn't be stupid enough to go through with his threat' before things went wrong.

It started with some gasps mixing in with the crowd's cheers. As those became more frequent, Kuvira's eyes drifted to the sources, where she saw a lot of sudden blue flashes. It took her a precious few moments to pinpoint what was happening. Officers were being attacked.

Normally, the Equalist's chi blocking strategy would be useless against the police's armor, but this time, they appeared to have some kind of new weapon. From the distance she was at, Kuvira couldn't make it out. She was so focused on the flashes that she didn't look up. Suddenly, the glass pane in the center of the roof exploded, falling right down onto the stadium. The athletes protected themselves, but the distraction of the falling glass caused them to be surprised when Equalists descended on them. "Get out of there!" Kuvira's hands went to the railing, brain wondering if she could somehow make the jump in time to help, but she knew she couldn't.

The Fire Ferrets, who were closer to the initial wave, were booted directly off the arena with a few precise attacks by the Equalists. Kuvira watched them fall, and then saw a man with two electric batons approach the water where they fell. Kuvira was close to jumping down, to save them, but the descending of Amon himself caught her eye.

He landed gracefully enough, and with a presence so commanding that even the hysterical crowd was silenced. He stood silent, facing the champions. Tahno, in his arrogance, accepted the obvious challenge, and it was a losing battle from the start. Even at full strength, Kuvira doubted they could touch him, especially when he had his followers right there aiding him.

Within seconds, they were all defeated, and Kuvira wouldn't stand to watch as Amon lined them up to take away their bending. Rather, she couldn't, as footsteps could be heard approaching the locker room. No doubt, if they knew how precisely to attack them, they'd know that she was in there. Well, it was sloppy execution on their part for letting her hear it.

She pressed herself against the wall behind the door, and when it opened and an Equalist man walked in, she launched her spare metal slab over his eyes. Almost immediately, he cried out and started flailing his arm, along with some kind of strange glove on his right hand. Kuvira let loose a flying knee into the back of his head when she got the chance, knocking him out cold. But he had a friend.

Kuvira retrieved her slab and bent it toward the new man, who launched himself at her with a stun baton. She deflected his attacks with her slab and attached it to his wrist, bending it into the wall forcefully, the shock causing him to drop the baton. She quickly picked it up and rammed it into his chest, shocking him for long enough to knock him out as well.

Barely winded but with her heart racing, Kuvira retrieved her slab and examined the strange glove she saw. It didn't take a genius to figure out what it was. With a flex of her hand inside it, the palm burst with electricity; a shock glove. That was how they got around the police's armor.

Kuvira threw it away, feeling nervous with it around her metal, and leapt off the side of the railing and into the water, just as Amon was handed a microphone and he started to give his speech.

"Elite of Republic City, you were warned," his cold, emotionless voice echoed throughout the stunned hall. "Multiple times, we told you to end this fallacy, and yet you remained adamant. Some would say it was brave, but I hope now you see that it was simply arrogant. As we speak, your oppressive police are being graciously escorted, where I will sever their connection to metal, along with any hope to staying on the force. Then, perhaps they will learn what it's like to be one of us, to be powerless no matter what they try to achieve. Now, we will end this silly little game for you. This arena will be destroyed, as promised. Know that this is only the beginning, _bending elite_, and soon every single one of the symbols of your power will fall. You can try to stop us, but our numbers grow by the day. Trying to stop us, soon, will be trying to stop the whole of Republic City."

Kuvira saw the Fire Ferrets being tied to one of the pillars supporting the arena by an Equalist, though not the same one she saw take them out with the shock batons. She slid to the edge of the platform and launched into action, quickly subduing the man with a metal slab shaped into a sphere to the side of the head. It was more blunt-force-trauma than Kuvira would've liked to use, but she didn't have the luxury of finesse at the moment.

"Vee! Am I ever glad to see you!" Korra grinned, despite the situation. Mako wasn't so cheery, and Bolin just looked tired. Nonetheless, they were the only people still active that could fight.

"We need to do something," Mako rubbed his wrists and shed his gear along with the others. "Those officers need help."

"I'm going after Amon," Korra didn't wait for a response. She leapt into the water and rose herself up on a funnel.

"Korra, no!" Kuvira reached for her, to no avail. Just as Korra came out over the top of the arena, it exploded. It was powerful, able to knock her clean out of her whirlpool, though she caught herself quickly. Amon looked down on her as he rose up. He was on a small platform attached to a cable, being held up by an airship.

"_Where are _our _airships?"_ Korra didn't get the chance to think about it much. She went as high as she could on her whirlpool, before launching herself further with her flames. She _wouldn't_ back down this time, and she wouldn't be caught off-guard. Amon was right there; she had to drag him back down and take him on one-on-one. Then, she could finish him.

That was the plan, anyway.

What actually happened was that some of the airships fired on her, and thus down onto the arena itself, further damaging it. They might not have even been aiming for her, but they knocked her clean out fo the sky nonetheless.

Korra might've landed on the arena itself and been seriously hurt, but she was thankfully caught. "Beifong!" Korra found herself slung under the Chief's arm as she's wired herself up and was now hanging against the wall. Beifong was silent and focused as she let them both fall down into a wide swing, and then at the apex, launched Korra up, right into Amon. They all went tumbling down onto the glass roof, already cracked from the shots, with their impacts not helping any. With some luck, the glass would still hold. Korra stood ready for the leader of the Equalists, fire already seeping from her fists. She didn't even notice that more Equalists were shooting down, and they were on the benders just as quickly. Soon, it was a massive brawl.

Kuvira and the others couldn't do anything to stop the Avatar from fighting, but with her handling Amon, that left them to handle everything else. They quickly went back to the locker room alcove, where they finished shedding their gear and where Kuvira retrieved her spools of wire for later use. "We need to help those officers," Mako and Bolin rushed out, with Kuvira close behind. The trio made a beeline for the entrance, where they saw Tenzin desperately fighting off a horde of chi blockers, with some getting dangerously close to the airbending master.

Bolin was the first to act, launching a large slab of earth toward an unsuspecting Equalist, sending him head-first into a Satomobile. Mako burst into action next to Tenzin, aiding him with a group of five chi blockers and warding them off. "Bolin, Earthshaker Beta!" Kuvira launched several small chunks of rock toward an approaching group of Equalists, some wielding those shock gloves. Meanwhile, Bolin slid around them and pelted them with slabs of his own, never letting up, even when Kuvira joined in. The two gradually took down the group. Once they did, Kuvira got the chance to look over, seeing that Mako and Tenzin took care of their group fine enough. Of course, with those two groups out of the picture, Kuvira saw another twenty Equalists approaching. Bolin's eyes lit up. "Ooh, is it time for Diablos?" he pumped his fists in front of his chest. Kuvira's eyebrow twitched; it was a three-person approach, and with people that weren't particularly happy with each other at the moment.

Surprisingly, Mako was the voice of reason all of a sudden; a stark contrast to his earlier behavior. "No, we need to drop these guys fast and find those officers."

Almost on cue, a large truck came careened out onto the road from the garage area. "That must be them!" Bolin shot sharp pebbles toward it, but its armor was too thick and he didn't manage to hit any of the tires. Mako similarly shot his lightning, but that also did nothing. Kuvira didn't waste any time after confirming that it was still moving. She raced down to the garage and got on her bike. It was only a few seconds before she was up and ready to do. Mako quickly hopped on after her, and Bolin made to get on after. "No, Bo; stay here and help Tenzin!" Kuvira shot them forward as he said it; any longer and the new batch of Equalists would've been on top of them.

xxxXXXxxx

Korra was fighting a losing battle and she knew it, yet she continued to fight. Beifong was possibly the best metalbender in the world, at least the most experienced, and was quick to dismantle her enemies. With precise manipulations of her wire, she was able to yank the approaching Equalists any way she wanted, no matter how agile they were. Korra, on the other hand, was exhausted from a pro-bending match and was up against Amon.

To her chagrin, he seemed bored rather than engaged, easily pushing her away whenever she got close, and handily avoiding her jets of fire. In a rage, Korra launched herself forward and slammed down with a stream of fire, though the radical side-stepped it, chuckling. "Careful, Avatar; wouldn't want to shatter your glass house so quickly, would we?" Korra looked down, seeing the ceiling in bad shape.

Beifong landed hard on her feet from an attack, cracking it further; another few like that and they would all be sent tumbling to their deaths. The police chief was finishing off the most recent batch of Equalists that had jumped down, ready to deal with another. Her chest was heaving from the exertion, and Korra saw it. "Amon, coward! Face me!" Korra arced fire toward him, eager to finish the fight and put all of this behind her.

"If I were to do that, the city was would find you a martyr. Is your memory as polished as your bending?" his voice retained that air of humorless cold, even when under fire. Korra snarled and launched another assault, forgetting herself.

Beifong felt the ceiling start to give way during one of her attacks, and looked toward the Avatar building up a big attack. "No! Stop!" Beifong shot herself toward Korra just in time. Before she could send the attack, the glass shattered. Amon and his Equalists were picked up in the nick of time by their airships and their platforms that he'd initially tried to use. Korra started falling, but was caught by Beifong, who attached her wire to one of the supports that had held the ceiling, saving them from a watery grave. Korra hung on, but watched Amon as he slowly drifted away and out of her reach once again.

xxxXXXxxx

Kuvira and Mako were desperately chasing the escaping van. Several times, Kuvira managed to get to its side, where they saw several police officers and attending pro-bending teams all tied up inside, ready to have their bending taken away. When Kuvira tried to get to the driver's side door to stop them, however, she was cut off.

Very quickly, the van was joined by two Equalists on their bikes, which merely served to annoy the pursuing benders. They dropped caltrops, oil, and even tried to shock them into submission, but Kuvira made sure to avoid all of it, keeping a fair distance behind them to allow her to react to their tricks. Of course, this meant that they weren't getting any closer to the van, especially when it kept going down narrow corridors and making a thousand turns a second, further frustrating Kuvira as she tried to get on it. "This is getting us nowhere. Can you knock out the bikers or the tires?" she slid around a stream of oil that was dropped behind one of the bikers, knowing that the bending brother was probably still drained from the match.

"If we can somehow lead them to a straight road, I can nail them," he was already shooting potshots of fire toward the bikers, trying to keep them occupied enough to leave Kuvira's driving alone. She nodded.

"I'll try not to do anything too fancy," she sped up, getting close to the bikers. The masked man tried to ram into her, but Mako forced him away with a kick, before nailing him in the chest with fire. The other biker came from the other side, and grabbed Kuvira by the arm, yanking her away from the controls. She did her best to balance out as she was being tugged on, but had to start fighting back when the biker threatened her with a shock glove.

Thankfully, Mako reached forward and took the controls, somehow maintaining their speed and balance while Kuvira fought off the biker. From her awkward position, there wasn't much she could do other than ward off the man's attacks, not helped by the unevenness of the road they were on. Eventually, as the road levelled out, Mako came to the rescue, turning his head and shooting a kind of fire bullet from his mouth, like a condensed version of the fire breath technique. The Equalist pulled back off of Kuvira, allowing her to gain the advantage. She bent a metal plate onto the man's hand, preventing him from using the shock glove, before yanking him toward her and headbutting him. The blow sent him reeling away, allowing her to easily topple him over with some earth bent upwards to flip his bike.

Kuvira regained the controls, just in time to see the van turn off. She burst down the same alleyway, but heard a dull roar that quickly grew louder as they approached the exit to the road.

The van pulled out easily enough, making a right, but as Kuvira and Mako came out, they were met with a monster of a truck, barreling right toward them. Kuvira couldn't make the right to follow the van, having to gun it to clear the path of the truck and snearly spinning out and ruining her tires as she did. "We're losing them!" Mako pointed to the van which had turned down another alley.

"I know, I know!" Kuvira gunned it again, quickly getting ahead of the truck, only to have it pick up speed and quickly start to gain on them. It had to have been modified to get that much speed so quickly, to be able to keep up with Kuvira's bike. And not just keep up with it, it was slowly gaining on them.

She knew that if she turned down the same road as the van, that the truck would then catch up and total them, so she instead went past the intersection and turned down the next alleyway. The truck continued on, but Kuvira knew it was only a momentary reprieve. If whoever was driving that thing was out for their blood, then they would know the van's path just as well, and would know where to cut Kuvira and Mako off.

Sure enough, that's what happened, and the van was being as elusive as ever. "Mako, get them off of us!" Kuvira weaved around the truck's tires as it came up right on top of them. He was sending everything he had at them, but the vehicle must've been armored against at least firebending, and the wheels were situated to where you couldn't hit them except if they were shot at a perpendicular angle.

Kuvira looked behind them briefly, and the truck was so close that she could smell the gas it was using. She couldn't even focus on following the van anymore; the greater priority was not being run over by this maniac.

"Be ready to take the wheel!" Left with only one idea, Kuvira sped up as much as she could.

"What?!"

Before Mako could argue, Kuvira swerved to the truck's side, smashed the brakes, and popped the back tired up off the ground. She pushed off of the handlebars and past Mako, onto the back plate that protected the back wheel. She quickly kicked off of that while it was raised and landed on top of the truck itself. Thankfully, Mako was as skilled as Kuvira would begrudgingly admit that she thought he was, and reacted accordingly, taking the controls and adapting to them quickly, getting ahead of the likely confused truck driver.

Kuvira stood on top of the vehicle and created a knife with her metal and shoved it into the roof, before spreading it apart, creating an opening. Inside, she saw no one, and soon found out why.

Equalists, chi blockers and shock glovers alike, swung onto the roof with her. Kuvira readied her stance and shot several with metal brackets before they got used to the momentum of the truck. Seeing this through the mirror, the driver started swerving, likely saving Mako as it was gaining on him again beforehand.

Kuvira ducked down, managing to stay on top of the vehicle, but allowing the Equalists to get close. Her adrenaline spiked as she was met by those who would do her harm, creating a metal shield with her slabs and using it to effectively ward off the chi blockers, and using her wire to keep the shock glovers at a safe distance, making sure not to allow them to grab it.

She whipped a few off of the side, leaving only a couple to deal with, and all were off-balance. She took the opportunity to try and stop the truck outright, charging toward the front and swinging down. She ripped the driver's side door off with her metal bending, but didn't get any farther than that.

The Equalists on the roof managed to grab her arm as she went for a shot, with the others looking to shock and/or chi block her, while the driver was already prepared. With the distraction of the roof opponents, Kuvira was easy pickings for getting shocked in the chest.

She was blasted back and tumbling on the ground immediately, saving her from immediate unconsciousness, and with her earthbending, she was able to somewhat absorb the damage. Even still, as she rolled to a stop, she had to groan from the pain her body was in.

Adrenaline still pumped through Kuvira's veins, and she got up quickly despite her discomfort. She launched herself forward with her wire and managed to keep pace with the truck and Mako if only by cutting corners across rooftops . She tried to keep an eye out for the van, but didn't see it even once; it was completely gone. The bitterness of their defeat didn't quite hit, not while a member of Team Avatar was in danger. The truck knew that they had little hope of finding the van, and yet they were still pursuing them. They likely wouldn't stop until one party was dead.

Kuvira growled to herself, quickly forming a plan, looking to her right as she arced over a building and seeing the docks where they handled all of the oil and gas shipments from the Fire Nation.

She launched herself over the top of the building and dropped toward the ground, using her cables to break her fall. Mako came shooting past, with the truck right on his heels. Kuvira launched herself forward with her cables and landed on the bike, shoving Mako back to take control once again, quickly regaining what balance was lost. "Give me some good news!" Mako went back to taking potshots at the truck, to little avail, while the officer didn't give him what he wanted.

Kuvira made a sharp right onto the road leading to the docks. The truck bashed through boxes and shipping crates like they were paper as Kuvira led them through, trying to find something to slow it down. In the end, she picked the riskiest option, but one that was guaranteed to work. "Do you trust me?" Kuvira didn't wait for an answer as she veered left and toward the edge of the dock. Between them and the bay was a massive metal drum containing either gas or oil; Kuvira didn't care which. The truck was gaining fast.

As they got close, Kuvira bent the tank into a curve, allowing them to just slip under it when they tipped over almost completely. Right as soon as they were past it, she yanked the tank close to its original shape, leaving a hole. "Now!"

Mako shot upwards, really parallel to the ground, and his fire collided with the now exposed substance, igniting it just as the truck collided with it.

The explosion was massive, stopping the truck in its tracks and nearly sending the two benders off and into the bay, should Kuvira not have raised an earthen barrier before they did. They both push off the ground and levelled the bike,seeing the truck on fire. The Equalists still inside were alive, thankfully, and were barreling out, all heavily injured and all unable to fight. Kuvira, battered and weary, managed to restrain all of them before they got away. She and Mako waited for the authorities to show up before they left.

They started moving slowly, opting to walk out of the docks at least before going on the bike. But Kuvira stopped as she passed by an unmasked Equalist. "Kuv?" Lena's eyes showed a mixture of shock and betrayal. "That was you…?" Kuvira just stared at her. The officer tried to take her away. "H-hey, wait! I know her! She knows me! Kuv, you need to help me, tell them something, get them off of me!" her voice grew more desperate as she went on. Kuvira just stared.

"You know this psycho?" Mako frowned, but his voice was surprisingly tender. "I'm...sorry."

Kuvira faced forward, ignoring Lena's pleas. "I've never seen her in my life," she started the bike up again and drove them off.


	16. Chapter 16

Kuvira groaned as she awoke the next day, barely remembering the night of the attack in the face of her soreness. She rolled over several times, but her torso hurt about the same amount no matter what position she put herself in; the pain just focused itself in different areas. She rubbed her abdomen, feeling the bandages and testing how tender she was; still quite a bit. With another groan, she brought herself to face the ceiling, only to notice that it was entirely too bright in her room, considering that the window was closed.

She looked to the door to see none other than the Avatar standing there, shuffling from one foot to another awkwardly. "Korra...what are you doing?" the watcher didn't even try to hide her annoyance.

"W-well…" Korra took the question as a gesture for her to enter, which is definitely wasn't. "I was just...trying to think, and...I mean, about the Equalists and...I mean, about Amon and how we could've-" she kept cutting herself off. "I mean, we should be thinking of ways to stop this, and I was listening to the radio, and things are...I mean, people are...I mean, benders-"

"Korra," Kuvira gave the younger, blubbering girl a hard stare. Immediately, she fell silent, eyes going down to the floor in shame. "Last night, we failed. _All _of us," she made sure to emphasize the latter part. "Today, we need to accept that, and move on with _level_ heads, do you understand?"

"But...Vee, all of those benders…"

Kuvira sighed. "...We failed them too," she swung her bandaged legs to the floor and stood, body protesting all of the way. Another groan escaped her, despite her best efforts. Korra immediately came to her side. "Adrenaline is a fantastic human function...I wish it lasted forever...might've made that easier…"

"How is it that you took the worst beating out of all of us?" Korra offered a smile, though it was clearly forced.

"Because I was busy carrying the team," Kuvira shot Korra a glance to gauge her reaction, getting a frown. "That...and I may have fallen off of a speeding vehicle."

"I think it was more the second one, my _dutiful_ watcher."

Kuvira grunted in response as she was led out of her room. "When are the brothers arriving, if I'm not too late?"

"You would've been, if I hadn't come in," Korra maintained a firm grasp of Kuvira's hand to offer support in moving. At this point, now that Kuvira was already up and her body was getting out of its stiff state, it was unnecessary. But Kuvira allowed it to continue nonetheless. The two made it out to the dock just in time to see the ferry arriving, along with the bending brothers that Tenzin agreed to house on the Island along with Korra and Kuvira.

Korra was kind in making sure that Kuvira was completely unsupported before she dashed off into the arms of one Cool Under Fire. The officer thankfully, as mentioned before, didn't really need to extra support, but still noted the Avatar's thoughtlessness. "Hey!" Mako brought her into a full hug. "Did you hold up okay last night?"

She shrugged, offering her best grin. "Oh, you know; I managed."

"Really?" Mako craned his neck. "I couldn't sleep at all, kept thinking about what happened," he turned his attention to Kuvira, and now Tenzin as he approached the dock with a forlorn expression. "What's being done about the attack?"

Kuvira shook her head. "Your guess is as good as mine. Master Tenzin?"

"I'm afraid I know about as much as you all. Chief Beifong and Councilman Tarrlok simultaneously called a city council meeting, and if they're agreeing on action, then that can only mean the situation is dire."

"T-Tenzin, I…" Korra bit her lip and held her tongue. Kuvira guessed what she was going to say.

"You want to go to the meeting," she crossed her arms. Tenzin's tight expression softened upon seeing Korra so unsure of herself.

"I believe it would be wise for you youngsters to rest for a while. But, if you feel you must, you may join me as guests," he put a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Perhaps it would even be for the best."

With that, Team Avatar followed the airbending master to city hall, where they took seats in the audience rows while the councilman eagerly awaited Beifong's arrival. She came almost ten minutes later, and was uncharacteristically small when she did, appearing almost like a puppy who knew it did something wrong.

"Well, Chief Beifong?" Tarrlok stood. "You called us here. Why?"

Kuvira raised an eyebrow, under the assumption that they both called it to issue joint action. Perhaps things weren't as dire as they first appeared...those hopes were quickly dashed, Kuvira would find.

Beifong looked up at the powerful politicians and put on her brave face again. "I'm resigning as chief of police, effective immediately."

The news came like a boulder to the chest. The others present were speechless, but Kuvira wasn't going to take it sitting down. "Chief, no!" She shot up when she really shouldn't have, immediately recoiling. Korra stood and help steady her. "You can't! We need you now more than ever!"

"Quiet, officer," Beifong's voice was stern, but when she turned to address Kuvira woman-to-woman, she was biting her lip, unsure of herself. "...We'll talk outside."

"Chief Beifong," Tarrlok made the effort to walk over to her. "I implore you to reconsider. With the Equalists more emboldened than ever, we need your mind and might to act decisively."

"You'll have no worries there. My Captain, Saikhan, is more than capable ot aiding you. But after last night, I...it wouldn't feel right continuing on as I have been."

"But Lin…" Tenzin's gaze shifted down to the table as he tried to think of a way to convince her otherwise. "If you're sure about this, then we have no right to argue, and fully accept your resignation requests."

She offered a slightest hint of an un-Beifong-like smile. "Thanks, Tenzin."

"Now, hold on," Tarrlok turned back. "I believe this needs further discussion."

"And I believe it doesn't," Tenzin frowned. "All in favor of abiding Chief Beifong's request?" the others all raised their hands. "Well, former chief, we all thank you for your diligent service to Republic City."

"And I yours, councilmen," Beifong bowed. "You'll have my official papers this afternoon. I need to go empty my desk," she waved off any further questioning by the still-insistent Tarrlok, and showed herself out. Tarrlok cleared his throat.

"W-well, after that news, I believe we know what we're here for," he went back to his seat. "The Equalists."

The city council began their meeting with uninterest logistical queries as to damages, protests, missing persons, etc. Kuvira stood. "I'll be back," she shifted past the other members of Team Avatar, ignoring the worried look of Korra, who almost followed her out. Kuvira caught Beifong at the bottom of the steps outside the hall, where she appeared to be waiting. "Chief, _please_ reconsider. The city _does_ need you, and Saikhan isn't up to the task."

"Don't you think I know that?" she made a disgusted face. "Give me a little credit, officer. And don't call me 'chief'; that's not what I am anymore."

"But…" Kuvira hesitated to say her last name. Even feeling it on the tip of her tongue made her blood boil. "What do you intend to do, if you're abandoning your post under the guise of shame?"

"What do you think? My officers were captured last night under my orders, and Tarrlok has a stranglehold on the investigation. I'm going to do some digging of my own and see what I can come up with. I'd…" Beifong shifted her gaze away. "I'd like to see what you're made of when it comes to detective work as well, if you can make it."

Kuvira blinked. Was Beifong being...bashful? More than that, was she actively asking her to help with an off-the-books investigation? The very thought made Kuvira laugh, if only a little. "I could have you arrested for that; I have a confession for when you illegally enter an area."

"That's a good cop," Beifong gave her a light punch to the shoulder. "Then stay on your assignment, and guard that girl with your life. I may not put much stock in her status, but other people do."

"I do," Kuvira hit Beifong back, just the same as she'd done. "And I will."

Beifong smirked as she started to walk away. "Anything you need, you come see me, got it? Oh," she turned back. "And just call me Lin, hm?"

xxxXXXxxx

"Did you hear what happened?" Kuvira waited outside City Hall, not wanting to interrupt their meeting with her re-entrance. "The pro-bending arena was attacked last night."

"Wait, really? I thought that was a publicity stunt by the council."

"No way; Amon is the real deal. Word has it that he has something even bigger planned next. Maybe he's finally going to take down those damned councilmen and fix this trash heap of a city."

"Hey, watch it, man."

"What?"

"Talk like that is going to cause a ruckus, best keep it down."

"Yeah...people are already panicked, I guess...shouldn't be, but they are."

"If some crazy loon was blowing up buildings, wouldn't you be a bit freaked out too? Oh, wait, stupid question. I forgot who I was talking to."

"Lay off, man. The revolution is coming; whose side are you gonna be on?"

"Man, you've been letting that stuff get to you. Come on, let's grab some noodles and forget about it, okay?"

Kuvira sighed, rounding the corner of the pillar at the bottom of the stairs, passing by the two young men who had held the conversation. She ignored their stares and their fading bickering as they walked away, and settled in to sit on the steps leading to the building itself, letting her tender body rest.

She looked around, seeing people going about their daily business as usual, but surprisingly, she didn't see any cops patrolling. Usually she would have seen at least one, especially this close to city hall. It was true that a large chunk of them were kidnapped, but she couldn't imagine that so many would quit based on the prior night. If they did, then maybe Amon had a point when he said that benders were spineless and spoiled.

One thing Kuvira did notice was that the people she saw walking were doing so at a quickened pace. Some were acting rather suspicious, or at least they would if Kuvira didn't have context. She would bet that the fast-walkers were benders, and were worried about what Amon would do to them if he got them, probably thinking that he was looking for them right now. Another sigh escaped her lips.

Any more slip-ups and the city might completely turn on them. Already, they've proven that they can't protect people from the Equalists. The whole city knew that, hence the hurried walks and frequent looks over the shoulder. If things escalated further, if the public was given any reason to distrust the council or the benders, then things would get _very_ ugly _very_ fast.

Tarrlok came out before anyone else, barely sparing Kuvira a glance as he hurried into his Satomobile and drove off in a hurry. The other council members came next and similar took off, leaving Tenzin to come out with the rest of Team Avatar. "But Tenzin! If Tarrlok keeps doing what he's doing, then it'll only make things worse!" Korra was walking in sync with the airbending master, who was stroking his beard in thought. "The more small targets he hits, the more trouble he stirs up without actually doing any damage to Amon."

"And with the whole of the police force on his side now, too…" Mako craned his neck, trailing close behind.

"What's going on?" Kuvira stood and faced them, holding her side as she stood too quickly.

"Ah, Kuvira," Tenzin gestured to her. "Perhaps you can shed some light on the subject. Tell us, do you know an officer by the name of Saikhan?"

Kuvira crossed her arms. "Yes, he was Beifong's right hand. Good officer, good metalbender, not outstanding at either if I'm being honest."

"How loyal is he to Tarrlok?"

Kuvira frowned. "...Very, as I recall," her voice dropped as she figured where this was going. Beifong probably purposefully appointed the man so that Tarrlok and the police would work together. Without her there to offer resistance, Tarrlok would be satisfied by striking at the usual small targets and boosting his political standing, while Beifong was left alone in the important mission; rescuing the kidnapped benders. "Damn it, Beifong…"

"What was that?" Tenzin frowned.

"I said that maybe that's a good thing. With Saikhan and Tarrlok in sync, then they should be able to get quite a bit done, correct?"

"But, Vee; you saw how little that stupid task force did!" Korra rushed over to her.

"I'm waiting for an alternate, Avatar," Kuvira shook her off.

"Long shot, maybe Tarrlok will let us help," Mako stepped forward, arms crossed. "If we do what he wants for a while, we might be able to find out about something bigger. Nobody says we have to tell him about it, and then we can take care of it ourselves."

"Oh, Mako!" Korra kissed him vigorously. "You're a genius!"

"Problem," Kuvira raised her hand to get their attention. "What makes you think Tarrlok will let us help if he didn't let us before, when the threat was relatively small?"

Bolin moved closer to her. "Ah, hey, she's got a point. But, and here me out, what if we didn't ask?"

Korra grinned. "Bolin..._you're_ a genius too," her gaze went to each person in turn, resting on Kuvira, who wasn't sharing in her enthusiasm. "Do you...think it's a bad idea?"

"Remember what I said this morning?"

"I have a level head!" Korra's voice rose in volume and pitch.

"You're being reckless, _again_, just like when you challenged Amon before."

"Hey, lay off," Mako stepped between them. "We just want to do something to help, and we _all_ know that Tarrlok is only going to make things worse."

"I don't doubt it," Kuvira crossed her arms. "But if any of us, even Korra, just goes up to Tarrlok and demands Equalist base locations, do you really think he would listen? Even if we threatened him, he could easily arrest all of us but Korra, even Master Tenzin."

"Excuse me, but could you leave me out of this?" Tenzin shot a glare at the metalbender. "I must return to Air Temple Island and make sure my family and the acolytes are safe."

Team Avatar bid him farewell before resuming their discussion. "So...you're not opposed to taking the fight to Amon," Korra cautiously gauged Kuvira's mood, which was not very good. Still, she shook her head, indicating that she wasn't opposed. "You just think it's stupid to ask him for help…" Korra crossed her arms and fell into thought. "I got nothing. You guys?"

Mako shook his head, and Bolin just shrugged. None of them were thinkers, it seemed. Kuvira sighed. "I have an idea."

xxxXXXxxx

"It's been my great pleasure to work alongside Chief Beifong for all of these years. She has served this city with the utmost diligence and grace, and she has left me with very heavy shoes to fill during a very tumultuous time. I'm honored that she personally elected me as her successor, and I accept the position with great humility. The Equalist threat will be my main priority; their blatant acts of terrorism, theft, kidnapping, and far worse are absolutely unacceptable. As you may well know, Councilman Tarrlok is already leading a task force against them. Therefore, I see it fit that the police fully cooperate with Tarrlok, allowing the speediest and most decisive action to be taken. For all matters involving the Equalists, I will report directly to him. The police department will lend any and all available resources to the councilman and his task force until we quell this insurgency."

There was a half-hearted applause from the crowd that had gathered outside the police station. Most of them were likely the families of the various officers, both those that escaped and those that were captured. Tarrlok was there, feigning surprise and humility himself at Saikhan's speech. The more Korra saw of him after Avatar Aang Memorial Island, the more she disliked him.

Of course, no mention was made on what steps were being taken to rescue these kidnapped people, so when the rounds of questioning came from the gathered news reporters, that was their first line of attack. Korra didn't let them get that far, however.

She marched up to the podium, drawing ire from Tarrlok without even saying anything. She took several deep breaths while staring down the new Chief of Police. Kuvira then watched as she repeated exactly what she'd said to say. But first, Korra flashed a winning smile to the crowd. "Thank you, people of Republic City," she pushed Saikhan out of the way and took the mic. "As you know, the Equalists lashed out last night against innocent people, benders and nonbenders alike. He kidnapped pro-benders and police officers, separating families. I'm your Avatar. I should have been able to stop it, but I failed, and I'm sorry. I'm going to make it up to you, starting today."

Tarrlok chuckled as he joined Korra and Saikhan on the stage. "Well, Avatar Korra, I think I speak for the rest of us when I say that we're all relieved to have you fully committing to this cause. My task force has been aching for your skill and expertise for some time now, and we would be more than thankful for your return."

Korra all but ignored him. "Unfortunately, Councilman Tarrlok's task force has been ineffective in combating the Equalist threat. For those still on our side, his efforts haven't even slowed down Amon's rise. For those against us, each attack only serves to bolster their justification for deserting the system. Subjugating privates practices, they'll say, and Tarrlok will continue to do this and only this so long as it serves him and his vanity project. I aim to take matters in my own hands, and will be dealing with the Equalists my way. Focused strikes, bigger targets, and most importantly, I want to rescue those people that were taken by Amon, before their bending is taken away if possible. I want to restore your families, and I want to restore Republic City to what it was...no, not what it was. I want to make it better, more fair, more equal. But to do that, I'll need your full support. The soul of Republic City hangs in the balance, resting in all of your hands. Thank you, and Tarrlok," she barely managed to keep a straight face. "I'll want all of the Equalist front groups that you know of or suspect sometime today, so I can get to work."

The crowd roared to life with questions but Korra's focus was on Tarrlok, who was nearly bursting with anger. A public declaration, a public _demand _from the _Avatar_? How could Tarrlok refuse while keeping his standing? Why wouldn't he help her, after all? If he didn't, then that would all but be an admission that he never truly wanted to stop the Equalists, at least not yet. He just wanted power, all of it. Korra knew that, Team Avatar knew that, and if he refused to give it up to Korra, then the whole city would know it too and would quickly turn against him.

Before Tarrlok could speak, Korra stepped off the podium, where Kuvira was waiting. Tarrlok glared at the watcher, likely knowing that it was her plan to publicly humiliate him like this. For once, Kuvira was the more transparent of the women, sending a smirk the councilman's way, relishing in his furiousness.

The two departed right as the crowd bombarded both Saikhan and Tarrlok with questions, trapping them there to try and salvage the situation and save face. But Kuvira knew that they had them in a vice grip. There was no out. They returned to Air Temple Island, where Mako and Bolin were waiting. Korra and Mako embraced and kissed immediately. "Hey, we listened to the broadcast; that was incredible, Korra!" Bolin slapped her on the back jovially.

"Yeah, I can just imagine that idiot Tarrlok's face when you told him that," Mako kissed Korra again.

"Trust me, it was priceless," even Kuvira couldn't hide her satisfaction.

"Whoa, a smile, from Ms. Broody?" Bolin slung an arm around her shoulder. Of course, his comment wiped said smile away.

"Off," she slipped out from under his arm, the extra weight hurting her.

"S-sorry," he held up his hands and chuckled. "So, what now?"

"Now, we wait," Kuvira looked toward the main city. "You said you wanted locations within the day, so Tarrlok should be here eventually."

And get there he would, but not until later that day, when the group, along with Tenzin's family, was eating dinner.

He came in suddenly, with a clear expression of disproval. Tenzin stood immediately, brow furrowed in annoyance. "Ah, Councilman Tarrlock. It's always a pleasure to have a guest of your stature."

"Please spare me the niceties for tonight, Tenzin," Tarrlok shuffled inside and shut the door behind him. Korra stood as well, with Kuvira following behind, standing slower so as not to upset her still-fresh injuries. "That was...quite the appearance you made earlier today, Avatar Korra."

"Thanks, I tried," Korra smirked and crossed her arms. "Did you come with the Equalist fronts like I asked?"

"That I did," he produced them in the form of a pile of papers. "Be warned, Avatar; my task force will also be targeting some these locations, so I can't promise your safety if you don't-"

"Yeah, yeah, spare me the niceties," she snatched them from his hand and started reading through them, frown slowly appearing on her face. "Spirits...spirits, but you had all these the whole time?!" she slammed the pile on the table.

"Korra!" Tenzin slammed his palm on the table, but she didn't back down. Kuvira reached for a few of them herself.

Tarrlok growled a bit under his breath, trying desperately to maintain his composure. He knew he was in enemy territory. "Keep in mind, Avatar Korra; not all of those are as airtight as others. Some are simply tip-offs that we've received."

"You're suspecting Cabbage Corp!" Korra continued getting closer and into Tarrlok's face. He took a deliberate step backwards, toward the door. "You know, only one of the biggest companies in the city!"

"Korra," Kuvira crossed her arms. "Leave it; it doesn't matter anymore. Now that we have all of these names, we can start working. And we'll start with Cabbage Corp. Councilman Tarrlok, you're more than welcome to beat us to it. It might even benefit you to take them down, but that's fine. Unlike you, we care about what this means for the city, not ourselves."

"You…" the councilman let slip his contempt. "Don't think that you've slipped under my sights, watcher. Do you think it _wasn't _obvious that Korra didn't come up with that appearance on her own? She was stupid enough to prioritize a meaningless sport when she could have been helping the city, as you _so nobly_ wish to do with your little team of street urchins."

Korra made to strike at Tarrlok for the insult, but Mako held her back. Kuvira glared at the councilman. "She isn't nearly as stupid as she leads on to be. In the same vein, maybe you aren't as in control as you project either. Why is this getting you so ruffled, _councilman_? Are you afraid of us stealing your glory? Are you afraid that your precious position is going to be stripped away from you when the people realize that you've accomplished a big heap of nothing since Amon materialized? Good. You _should_ be afraid. The city doesn't need someone like you in power. Like you said," she took Korra's hand. "This city needs a hero. And you're looking at her."

Tarrlok's furious expression shifted from Korra to Kuvira and back. He didn't say another word, just turned on his heels and left. Once the door slammed shut and they heard him stomp away, Kuvira turned back to the table.

"Well, that was fun. Master Tenzin, may we eat now?"

"Uh...sure…" all eyes were on the watcher as she sat and took a bit of bread into her mouth. Korra's gaze lingered the longest, but Kuvira didn't speak for the rest of the night, having said her piece already.


	17. What Could Have Been

Hey guys, MajorStupoid or Hikaridewd54 here, whichever handle is used on this site.

So, this is a bit awkward to say, so I'm just going to say it and move on.

As of right now, I am done with this project. I just don't have the motivation to continue it. Maybe when I get back into the show, or maybe some fancy will strike me years down the line, but right now, I'm done. Some might be sad, most will probably be apathetic, and that's fine.

From here, I'm going to detail everything that I was going to do with this mega-story should I have finished it. Obviously, if that fancy ever strikes me, I'll delete this chapter and simply post it.

Also note, this was written when only chapter 13 was up...I forgot I actually wrote a fair bit past that and I'm too lazy to change it.

To start, the finals of the pro-bending tournament would've occurred similarly to how it did with the show, with the Fire Ferrets ultimately losing. Rather than because the Wolfbats were cheating, however, it would've been because of the growing tensions within Team Avatar. Mako's frustration at Kuvira is bolstered by seeing Bolin perform very well using her tutelage, Korra is obviously distracted by the Equalist threat and isn't very focused on the game. Both of their performances suffer heavily, and when the game gets down to a tiebreaker and Bolin volunteers, Mako snaps at him, shooting down his volunteering and loses the match himself. Then, the Equalists attack.

The battle on Korra's end would go pretty much as it does in the show, but I was planning on having the Equalists try to kidnap all of the other attending losers of the pro-bending tournament and several police officers. Kuvira and Mako would act as the adults that they were and set aside their differences to help them, saving both Lin and Tenzin from the attack. Bolin, Tenzin, and Lin protect those that were shocked into unconscious, while Kuvira and Mako pursued the kidnapped people on her bike, resulting in an Uncharted 4-esque chase.

It would've ended similar to how that setpiece ended, with them being chased by an armored truck. Kuvira would flee to the docks, metalbend a gas tanker up so they can slide through, bend it back down, and have Mako ignite it just as the truck crashes into it, sending both up in flames while they just barely make it out alive, having failed at saving the kidnapees.

From there, the city is sent into chaos, with Tarrlok doubling down on police enforcement on nonbenders, like in the show, only much less effectively. The Equalists control nearly half of the city, and much more in influence, having seen how much destruction the benders caused to the city in attempting to stop them (thanks Mako's firebending), in addition to the city losing faith in the police after Lin steps down out of shame.

Team Avatar are left to wonder how the Equalists knew of their plan, and eventually Kuvira figures out that the practice uniforms were bugged, and the only company with enough money and resources to develop that technology (plus they were _his_ uniforms) is Future Industries. During this initial investigation, Mako and Bolin are arrested as in the show.

Kuvira and Korra recruit Lin in freeing Mako and Bolin, and taking the fight to the Equalists by taking down Hiroshi, after confirming that he was suspicious by staking him out. Lin agrees, but both agree that Korra shouldn't go near the fight, reasoning that, if they fail, that Korra _cannot_ be captured and stripped of her bending. Korra begs, holding out a hand for Kuvira to take, which she refuses.

Dishearted and stubborn as Korra is, she immediately goes to Tarrlok to inform him of their plans, demanding for him to send aid, which he also refuses, stating that everything is under control. As she enters his room, he's on the phone, saying that 'this wasn't part of the plan', by the way. The two get into an argument about extremes, as in the show, and both question the other's true intentions, Korra believing that Tarrlok is taking advantage of the Equalists' takeover to push his discriminatory agenda, while Tarrlok believes that Korra is a child who is making a fuss to get attention, desperately seeking recognition in a fight that isn't hers. The two fight, Tarrlok reveals his bloodbending, and he kidnaps Korra.

Meanwhile, Team Avatar and Lin confront Hiroshi, after waiting outside his manor all day for him to arrive, who nearly overwhelms them. The team ultimately defeats him by combining all of their powers in an Omega maneuver titled "Diablos" (which Kuvira said wouldn't work, remember), where Lin holds the mech in places with tons of cables, Bolin lifts a big spire of earth, Kuvira tips the point with metal, and Mako blast it forward (along with the others' bending), sending it directly through the power source of the mech. When his big machine is opened, however, they instead find a young woman, who Kuvira figures out is Asami, the thought-to-be-dead daughter of Hiroshi. She is arrested.

The next day, however, it's revealed that Hiroshi publicly came out as an Equalist the afternoon prior, while they were staking him out and off the grid. Thus, their attack appeared to be retaliatory, and resulted in even more bad press, accusations, and chaos being sewn into Republic City, especially because it appeared to be an unprovoked attack on his daughter, who he claims to have hidden away to hide her from the evil benders who killed his wife. Kuvira is left at a loss of what to do, and nearly falls into despair when she learns of Korra's disappearance, regretting not taking her hand when it was offered.

Korra is locked in that same box, but doesn't receive visions of Aang battling Yakone. Instead, she accidentally unlocks that astral projection power that Jinora got in season 2, only hers is an imperfect application, not able to be seen by others. She sees the chaos that befalls the city, and the despair on her allies' faces as it gets worse and worse.

Amon ultimately captures the majority of the metalbending police, and gambles on his authority and power, publicly executing Lin's replacement via massive electrocution through his metal armor who...I can't remember the name of. The guy with the receding hairline. As he planned, the crowd cheers in the name of anti-bending. Team Avatar is witness to this, and is rightfully horrified. Amon releases all of the Equalists that were arrested before.

They eventually are led to Tarrlok, and the encounter pretty much happens in the same way, with them accusing him correctly of kidnapping Korra, only for him to flee after bloodbending them, only Team Avatar puts up more of a fight before it happens, resulting in Tarrlok being weakened.

The team decide that they need to cripple the Equalists somehow, deciding that funding would be the best way, and the way to do that was to get Hiroshi. Unfortunately, he's hidden away with no leads in sight, save for one. Asami was kept away from all of the others who were arrested, and is still their prisoner. They consider using her as a hostage, but Mako, of all people, as able to get through to her.

He goes in there and has a heart-to-heart, revealing to her that his parents were killed by firebenders, just like her mother was. There was more to it than that, but that was the takeaway. Now swayed a bit off of her brainwashed ideals, Asami agrees to help take down the Equalists for the sake of a truly just world, and not the lopsided one that she believed was there before or the equally lopsided one that Amon wanted to create.

Unfortunately, the plan doesn't go through. Hiroshi, instead of surrendering to save his daughter, attacks everyone, nearly killing her. Team Avatar barely makes it out alive, and Asami is sent into hiding until the Equalist threat blows over, if it ever will.

Tarrlok retreats to his mountain cabin, not knowing that Amon was tracking his movements in preparation for capturing Korra. Once there, Tarrlok and Korra come to an understanding when Tarrlok reveals his history with Amon and Yakone, revealing that he'd been working with Amon this whole time. He said that the plan was to prove their father's method's wrong by taking over the city through deception and misdirection rather than through fear. The plan was to have Amon rise up as a threat, and Tarrlok to be granted power in return for him defeating him and becoming Republic City's hero, harkening back to his introduction in like chapter 6, you know "this city needs a hero".

Tarrlok then comes to the conclusion that he was fool, not meant to be the hero, that no one was capable of being one in the face of Amon's overwhelming presence, authority, and power, but Korra says that he shouldn't give up.

Amon then attacks. In desperation, Tarrlok frees Korra and tells her to run and beat Amon in his stead. Korra questions why he does this given what he said prior, to which he says that he wanted her to prove him wrong, before engaging Amon and the Equalists alone.

Korra returns to Team Avatar stronger than ever, with new resolve, and quickly uses her hidden charisma to rally the rebels to fight the Equalists. Kuvira takes note of this, and some feelings begin to stir in watching Korra rise up and take charge like a badass.

The finale plays out much the same way, with the airbenders being kidnapped, Lin having her bending taken away, and Korra and Kuvira going to Air Temple Island to ambush Amon, only to find Tarrlok there. In this canon, both he and Amon are immune to each other's bloodbending, having used it so much that they are able to counteract it (just roll with it). Thus, he's simply locked up, and is too demoralized to attempt escape. He once again laments his own inability and weakness, stating that he should have listened to his father and stayed in the shadows where he belonged. This strikes a cord with Kuvira, who recounts her own parents' poor treatment of her in the face of her lack of bending ability before Suyin took her in. She berates Tarrlok as weak, but says that everyone has the ability to become strong, given enough willpower and a worthy foe to combat, even if it's just their past self. She breaks the lock on Tarrlok's cell before they head to the final battle.

The resistance to the Equalists storm the stadium where Amon is about to take away Tenzin and the other airbenders' bending away. Mako and Bolin finally reconcile and team up to defeat Amon's second-in-command (the guy with the electric batons and the mustache), while Korra and Kuvira confront Amon. The only difference is that the facial scar, this time, is real. Amon requested his face to be burned by Tarrlok to better fabricate their story for the Amon persona. Other than that, things play out much the same.

Amon is simply too powerful when they get him alone. They try and get him into the open, where he can't use his bloodbending lest he reveal his falsehoods to his whole movement, thus shattering it, but he's too smart and powerful to that. Mako and Bolin are both downed, already exhausted after their fight with the second-in-command. Kuvira is able to fight competently against Amon, but is useless against his bloodbending. Korra has her bending taken away, only to discover that she can still airbend, saving Kuvira from having her bending taken away. Amon is blasted out of the window and into the street, where he attempts to flee and fight another day, figuring that the attack would only bolster his story. Kuvira snaps at Korra, who is distraught by her loss despite her ability to airbend. Kuvira exclaims, for the first time, that she needs Korra, and that she needs to be strong, that she _can_ be strong, together with Kuvira. This motivates Korra into action, and the two go in on Amon using the Dust to Dust formation, laying into him out in the street again and again. He has no defense in the large crowd, and knows that if he uses bloodbending, then it's over. Ultimately, that's exactly what he does, restraining both girls and is ready to kill them to at least achieve that victory.

Out of nowhere, Tarrlok appears behind and grabs Amon, pinning his arms to his sides. Tarrlok has stolen one of the Equalists' electric gloves and set it to maximum. As Korra calls for him to stop, Tarrlok exclaims "This city needs a hero!" before sending electricity through Amon's heart, killing him.

In the aftermath, Korra is still left without most of her bending, and isn't visited by Aang's spirit, as she never connected with him as she did in the show. The city returns to some form of peace as the known Equalists are arrested and the unknown disappear into the shadows. Tarrlok is also arrested for abuse of power and unauthorized murder.

Thus ends the first arc of The Watcher. For an idea of where I got some of the inspiration, look to (obviously) the show, and TheSpoonyOne's Counter Monkey episode "Thieves' World: Don't Interrupt". Despite the man's recent negative changes, I still recommend that episode to hear a really good story.

In arc 2, Korra is barely able to hold things together by fully devoting herself to helping heal Republic City. She and Mako are still together, and have a relatively healthy relationship, but it's strained due to his new job as a beat cop and her diving into politics, which she admits she's not very good at. Kuvira continues to guard her though is called her advisor, while Bolin acts as the lift man for the women, and is called their bodyguard, though both girls note that his efforts aren't necessary. Finally, Lin has been reinstated as the Chief, but purely on managerial terms, as she still doesn't have her bending. She assumes a more openly motherly role to Kuvira from now on.

I forgot to mention; in the first arc, Kuvira eventually lets spill that she was raised by Suyin, shocking Lin and bringing up old scars. In this canon, Suyin was banished from the city after she killed a man, having gotten into your average bending brawl that got out of hand. Seeing that the young Suyin was traumatized by the experience and not wanting to arrest her own daughter, Toph banished her. Lin hears Kuvira speak very negatively about Suyin, saying that she was a compulsive liar, and was disingenuous in everything she did and, ultimately, that she hated the woman. Seeing that Kuvira felt neglected more than anything, Lin takes it upon herself to provide guidance to the young, troubled woman.

Back to arc 2:

Unrest is still rampant throughout the city, with most nonbenders noting that Republic City is still run by benders only. Thus, they opt to reinstate multiple nonbender-run corporations, including Cabbage Corps, and Future Industries. Asami comes out of hiding, and everyone tries to persuade her to take up her father's mantle as head of the company, as it would serve to bridge those still loyal to the Equalists' ideas, that align with Hiroshi, and their own of having someone sympathetic to their own cause, who truly wants what's best for the city and its people. Ultimately, she agrees, with the Caveat that Mako act as her personal bodyguard, which he accepts with a grin. Within her first week, she hires tens of thousands of nonbender workers to her company's various factories and offices.

To Korra's chagrin, this doesn't do much to alleviate the non bending unrest. Noting that the only real member of the old City Council to be present in the city and not incarcerated is Tenzin, they then decide to overhaul the government, instituting a President instead. In comes leading entrepreneur and politician of Republic City, Raiko. He is elected without any trouble.

Unfortunately, even _then_ the people aren't happy. To add to Korra's frustration, evil or corrupted spirits have been spotted terrorizing the people of Republic City as winter draws closer, to the point where a task force led by herself, Kuvira, and Tenzin has to be created come winter itself.

During all of this, Kuvira and Mako's relationship is strained, with both becoming increasingly possessive of Korra, though Mako has grounds to do so as her SO and Kuvira is much more subtle about it. They bicker behind Korra's back, and nearly get into fights constantly.

Eventually, Korra's uncle, Unalaq, comes to Republic City at Korra's behest, as she says that he knows spirits better than anyone. After examining the situation, Unalaq concludes that the spiritual imbalance in the city is to blame for the nonbenders not regaining their trust, and the evil spirits both. He claims that, perhaps, the coming festival meant to heal spiritual energy throughout the world will help them, and invites Korra to come.

During a fight with an evil spirit, Mako acts overly protective, to the point of jeopardizing people's lives for the sake of protecting the admittedly still-depowered Korra. After the near-death experience, Korra snaps at him, demanding that he stop treating her like she was a weak little girl. He defends his actions in a multitude of ways, and the argument escalates nearly to violence. Korra concludes that she's the Avatar, and therefore doesn't need protecting from a nobody like him, hurting him to his core. In retaliation, he reminds her that the Avatar is someone who can bend all four elements, which she can't do anymore. Bringing up still-fresh wounds, Korra runs away.

Ultimately, Korra invites Kuvira to join her in going to the festival, while Mako and Bolin are left behind in guarding Asami.

So...this is purely for me. The chapter detailing the festival and the two going to the nearby spirit portal (which works differently, in that it is opened manually during the festival to revive spiritual energy in the world and then closed manually, only by Unalaq), is based heavily on the Phil Collins song "Strangers Like Me".

Listen to the song; the first verse is Korra reflecting on how much Kuvira has influenced her and how she's been trying to conduct herself, stating that she, at first, was simply mimicking Kuvira's confidence, and was only just now beginning to understand it. She relates that she has always seen herself as the Avatar and nothing else 'I see myself as people see me', while Kuvira was the first one and the only one that Korra feels is still treating her as just 'Korra', which is 'I just know there's something bigger out there'. She goes on to relate her feeling of and growing connection to her past lives, beginning to recognize her 'strangers like me' as the people they were, rather than the legends that now surrounded them, and expresses her hope that, one day, the same will be done for her by her reincarnation, hoping that Kuvira will be there to help them too.

The second verse is Kuvira's inner monologue as Korra is speaking, detailing Kuvira coming to grips that she has, against her better judgement, fallen madly in love with the Avatar, with the bridge acting as Kuvira silently wondering if Korra feels the same way that she does, with Korra urging Kuvira to follow her into the spirit world 'my world', and Kuvira repeating Korra's urging to take her hand, reversed so that Kuvira is calling for Korra to take her hand, and proclaiming that 'there's a world I need to know', meaning the world of her and Korra being together, to where Kuvira can feel whole for the first time since she left Zaofu.

There would be much more context in the story itself, but I would have flat-out (tastefully) used lines from the song.

From there, the two enter the spirit world and see some pretty sights, Korra led by her past lives. Before long, however, they are attacked by evil spirits, near the spirit portal right as its closing. Kuvira, on instinct, pushes Korra through the portal, leaving her to fight alone, only for her to recieve help from Iroh, or his spirit, who helps her escape (not sure if he has bending still or not).

Korra is met by Unalaq, and (correctly) accuses him of closing the portal on purpose, immediately turning on him with the loss of Kuvira. He calms her down and persuades her to go to the south portal, as it should still be open. She immediately races there, but is attacked by a dark spirit, and she's washed up on that island and connects with Wan, the first Avatar, as in the show.

Instead of showing her the origin of the Avatar for her to regain her memories, Wan has a dialogue with Korra, who questions her status as the Avatar, and laments both that she doesn't want the responsibility and, if she has to have it, that she wishes she had the power to live up to the world's expectations of her. Wan says that 'power comes in response to a need, not a desire', and that Korra hasn't found her 'need' yet. Wan explains that his need was his loyalty to Raava, and refusing to see her die at the hands of Vaatu, and urges her to find something similar, however she can, for he sees dark times ahead.

Those dark times come rather quickly. A cold, bitter, snowy, and icy winter overtakes Republic City, and evil spirits are running rampant. The benders of the city are trying to stop them, but are unable to contend. Unalaq reappears and calms their spirits, but does so using an unnatural power, which Tenzin notices.

Tenzin confronts Unalaq, questioning how he obtained the power to quell spirits. Unalaq corrects him while revealing his true nature; he doesn't quell spirits, he controls them. The Equalists spread the seeds of discord, allowing the spiritual inbalance to happen, and when the dark spirits emerged, Unalaq, as the Avatar for the still-imprisoned Vaatu, can control them.

Tenzin engages Unalaq in combat, but is ultimately overpowered by Unalaq's Dark Avatar might, and is killed in cold blood. With his death, the dark spirits overtake the city, freeing prisoners, harming civilians, and destroying many buildings.

When Korra returns, she's met by Mako, who insists that they contact Tenzin and regroup. Bolin helps Asami and Raiko evacuate the city and ward off the evil spirits from that effort. Meanwhile, Korra and Mako rush to where Tenzin was last spotted, battling an unknown assailant shrouded in shadow.

Unalaq appears, blocking their path and revealing his powers to them. The two barely manage to break past him and rush to Tenzin, believing him to still be alive for them to save. Along the way, they pass by Tarrlok, who was freed in the chaos. Mako expects him to attack, but he just tells Korra to go where she needed to go, and that he would handle the rest. Korra and Mako oblige, with Korra thanking Tarrlok and saying her goodbyes, knowing what would happen.

Tarrlok engages Unalaq to buy time for Korra and Mako, but he too is slain, as he was unwilling to use his bloodbending ever again, even for this.

Korra finds Tenzin's body, and for a reference, watch TFS' History of Trunks, where Trunks find Gohan. I'm imagining something like that.

Korra explodes into the Avatar State, much like Aang did upon seeing Monk Gyastso's corpse, or believing Katara to be dead in the first episode of season 2 of ATLA. Unalaq is completely overwhelmed by her power, even when she's still limited to airbending, and retreats. Mako manages to calm her down, but both are disheartened by Tenzin's death and the fall of Republic City. Ultimately, they conclude that they need to stop Unalaq and whoever gave him his powers, and that, hopefully, it would restore the balance.

Meanwhile, in the spirit world, Kuvira is being lectured by Iroh, who shares tea with her and tells her that she needs to 'begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you, and what do _you _want?' and so on and so forth. Kuvira is forced to question herself, her past, and her regrets, having stated in the past that she deeply regretted running to Suyin after her parents' abandoned her, due to how much pain her relationship with Suyin had caused her.

Soon, she leaves Iroh in search of an exit to her world. She is pursued by more evil spirits, and is eventually driven into the Fog of Lost Souls, where she can no longer run from herself. She sees a younger version of herself, waiting outside of her parents' doorway, waiting to be let in. Kuvira watches herself wither away into nothing, hoping in vain that her parents would love her and come back after abandoning her. Kuvira notices Suyin's door just across the way, and sees that her younger self won't even look at it, making come true her supposedly biggest regret.

Kuvira comes to realize her own character as a woman who, from the start, lacked direction and drive, and thus happiness. She ran from her problems at every opportunity instead of confronting them, and comes to realize that, while she lost a lot from her experiences, she has gained more, and stands to gain even more now that she's finally beginning to move on from her past. Gingerly, she takes her younger self's hand, calls her 'baby girl', rejuvenates the young body, and urges her toward Suyin's home. Kuvira walks with her, and, upon entering the structure, she emerges outside of the Fog of Lost Souls.

From there, she makes her way toward the Tree of Time, only to see that the southern portal is not open as Unalaq said it would be. She meets Vaatu, who exposits his plan, of using Unalaq to disrupt the spirits so much that his barrier will eventually shatter, and he can be free once again. Kuvira vows that she won't let him leave the spirit world, but Vaatu just laughs at her.

Both storylines converge as Unalaq makes his way to the southern portal to meet with Vaatu. Korra and company pursue him. They attempt to fight him and his possessed children (oh yeah, they exist), but Unalaq succeeds in opening the southern portal, releasing Vaatu from the sudden influx of negative spiritual energy. Not according to his plan, however, Kuvira emerges from the portal and aids Team Avatar in fighting Unalaq, while Korra is sent to combat Vaatu, in the hopes that she will unlock the Avatar State once again and win. This doesn't go to plan.

Kuvira is essentially forced to fight Unalaq and his son (while Bolin deals with the daughter, humorously). She enters her Zone, but is repeatedly distracted out of it by hearing Korra's losing battle through the portal. Every time she tries to enter the portal to help, she's beaten back. Eventually, Mako arrives to help, having dealt with straggler evil spirits, and the two reconcile, recognizing that while they may not always agree on their methods, that all they want to do is help Korra become a better Avatar and a better person, and that they can work together for her sake. The two defeat Unalaq and his son by wrapping them in Kuvira's metal wire, and Mako briefly shocks them into unconsciousness, a formation aptly titled Judgement (I actually love the codenames I came up with, despite their admitted cheesiness). Bolin also defeats the daughter.

Team Avatar goes to help against Vaatu, only to see him absolutely dominating Korra. Mako holds Kuvira back, saying that, in a fight like this, they'd only be holding Korra back and distracting her by getting hurt, just as Korra's pain had distracted Kuvira. Unalaq barely crawls in and begs Vaatu for power, only to be vaporized by the evil spirit, who no longer needs the pathetic man.

He continues brutalizing Korra, and eventually, Kuvira can't take it. She finishes her growth by concluding that helping Korra was her drive and her direction, and rushes in to help. Vaatu shrugs off all of her attacks and those of Team Avatar, who finally rushes in to help to save Kuvira from her suicide mission. Very quickly, all three are about to be vaporized by a beam attack, and just then, Korra finds her 'need'.

She awakens the Avatar State from willpower rather than rage, and gains full control over it and all of the abilities bestowed upon her by the countless Avatar spirits residing within her. She bends a sphere of air around them, but it still weakened, which Team Avatar notices. Only together do they stay upright, Bolin desperately trying to stop them with his earthbending, Mako, trying to keep Kuvira upright, and Kuvira holding Korra's heels in the ground to keep her standing.

Korra energybends herself and restores her bending and ends Vaatu with a bang. Literally.

Calling back to when she picks up the prototype gun, Korra unleashes a vicious combo, lands, points, and says 'bang', shooting a spiral of all four elements through Vaatu, killing him (I know he doesn't actually die, he goes into Raava and grows again, but whatever). Korra collapses from the power she wielded while she was so exhausted, but rests easy knowing that she's done her duty.

With Vaatu's influence dissipating, the evil spirits revert to normal and take up residence outside the spirit world, while Korra opens both portals. She uses her newfound energybending powers to restore the bending of those that had it taken away by Amon, but Lin declines the service, stating that she's already a new person and didn't need to find herself again when she got her bending back.

Team Avatar mourns the loss of Tenzin, and later Mako speaks to Korra as Kuvira is recovering on Air Temple Island, having suffered heavy injuries and fatigue from her extended time in the spirit world with no rest. He asks Korra if she still wants to pursue a relationship with him, and she admits that she doesn't, believing they'd both be happier if they went their separate ways romantically. Mako agrees, and then playfully asks if it's because she's fallen for someone else. Korra answers indirectly by going red and turning away, and Mako advises her to admit her feelings and have them reciprocated. Korra visit Kuvira, and the two start a relationship in earnest, with the caveat that they go as slow as Korra wants, feeling very rushed as of late and wanting to slow her life down a bit.

End of arc 2

Arc three begins similarly to how it begins in the show, with the people not liking Korra. Hey, isn't that a new idea.

Once again, new airbenders start popping up, this time due to the massive imbalance in spiritual energy messing with people's chi paths...I don't know, cut me some slack. The interesting thing is that this time, there's no Tenzin, cuz he straight iced.

Thus, it's up to Jinora to lead the new airbenders and...yeah, good luck with that. To get it out of the way, Jinora would have a character arc where she would slowly gain more confidence in herself, which would ultimately end where the show ends, with her leading the charge in rallying the airbenders and defeating Zaheer in Korra's place. And, judging, from that lazy summary, you can probably care I'm not that interested in Jinora as a character. Thus, it's probably a good thing I didn't finish this, because then her arc might've ended up like Leo's did in United We Stand lol shots fired right into my own face.

In any case, much of the arc plays out the same. Zaheer still frees the Red Lotus and tries to kill Korra in the Avatar State. Many of the story beats are the same, with some additions and alterations, as is my usual modus operandi.

Mako would actually have a character arc. He's given permission by Asami, who he's still in service to, to join Korra on her quest to gather the new airbenders to train with them, but he hasn't quite slipped into his role yet, so to speak. In dealing with the massive changes that have occured in his life over the past year since he met Korra, he hasn't really had the time to slow down and think about how things ended up the way they have. There would be a bit more context than that, as we see him enjoying the company of this rich woman who seems genuinely interested in him, and he still views himself as a street rat. So, when he sees Kai, another street rat, his nature conflicts with his nurture and he lashes out, overestimating the boy's threat to their mission. His arc would lead to him ultimately coming into his own, recognizing and accepting his upbringing, and the anger and cool rage he'd been relying on, and then molding it into something positive, ultimately defeating, but not killing as in the show, the water tentacle lady of the Red Lotus, Ming Hua.

Bolin, meanwhile, would start to come into his own more and more as well, meeting a young airbender who they rescue from the Earth Queen. He was a former officer in the Earth Kingdom's military, who was captured against his will, causing him to become disillusioned with the country and how it's run. His name is Yuuto ( a nod to my previous Korra story, which is terrible; don't read it, it sucks), and he eventually forms a relationship with Bolin, as my first wading into gay male-male romantic pairings.

That doesn't sound like too big a deal, considering I had Winona and Bianca in United We Stand, heavy implications between Winona and Reyna in that same story, and Kuvira and Korra in this one, but those are all female-female which, let's face it, is more socially accepted in media. I'm beholden to biases just like everyone else, but I don't want to be shackled by them, if that makes sense, thus my wanting to include that kind of a relationship.

In any case, Yuuto joins as a member of Team Avatar after being drawn to Korra and, more importantly, Bolin. They continue onto Zaofu, against Kuvira's wishes. There, she's finally reunited with Suyin.

Kuvira has described Suyin as unfeeling, disingenuous, two-faced, among other things, but the other members of Team Avatar don't see that at all. Even when Mako investigates her past, she finds nothing but a kind, if scarred, woman who cares for her children, and still has the mental fortitude to run an entire, successful city. They all start to think that Kuvira is just bitter, but she won't say why, no matter who asks or how they ask it. Suyin won't reveal anything either, believing that it was not her secret to tell. When informed of this, Kuvira spat, saying that that was _exactly_ the kind of empty words that made her despise the woman.

While they're there and they recruit Opal, Korra learns of Kuvira's past from Suyin. When she confirms what Korra had already been told, Suyin adds that she cared for Kuvira like her own daughter, and that she was the one that fostered Kuvira's rapid and continual growth in the field of metalbending. Unlike Lin in the show, Kuvira refuses to seek help for her obvious hangups.

She admits to Korra that she enjoyed her time at Zaofu, and was grateful for the opportunities she was given to learn, but says that her bitter parting tainted all of the memories, turning them from vibrant, colorful, and warm, to cold and monochrome.

Her frustrations extend to her relationship with Korra. Kuvira pushes Korra into sex, but Korra continually denies her. Kuvira's advances get to the point where Korra has to stop and tell her to leave, lest they both do something they'll regret; Kuvira giving into her vices and ruining the trust that they'd built up. Kuvira obliges, and begins to contemplate that, maybe, she should try speaking to Suyin.

That thought is thrown out the window when Zaheer appears and attacks, trying to kidnap Korra. Things play out roughly like the show, with them repelling the Red Lotus, rooting out the spy, and tracking him to a village where he's supposed to meet Zaheer so that they can take him by surprise. Meanwhile, Jinora takes the airbenders to the Northern Air Temple to train the recovered airbenders, out of harm's way.

Things play out similarly, with the Red Lotus tricking Team Avatar into the trap. Kuvira, Mako, Bolin, and Yuuto engage the Red Lotus while Naga flees with Korra on her back. Korra is captured by the Earth Queen while defenseless, while Yuuto escapes being captured by the Red Lotus. The others aren't so lucky.

Yuuto pursues Korra's kidnappers, and together, they manage to get to safety after being stranded in the desert, though Korra frees herself this time...somehow...leave me alone.

Meanwhile, Kuvira, Mako, and Bolin are tied up and taken with the Red Lotus to trade for Korra; traitors to the Earth Kingdom in exchange for the Avatar. Kuvira mocks Zaheer for his ideals which she considers foolish, saying that by being willing to take another's life for the sake of something so esoteric, he'll only prove that he's insane and lacks empathy. Zaheer takes it in stride, saying that Kuvira knows little of it as well, to which she snaps that he doesn't know anything about her. Zaheer then recites everything his spies have learned about Kuvira.

Kuvira was born to poor parents, both emotionally and financially. She grew up barely getting by, and her parents were continually pushing her to achieve great bending prowess, believing that that would bring them out of poverty through her success. When she proved to be a failure, however, they fell into a depression. She was abandoned at a young age and taken in my the Beifongs in Zaofu. Years later, she separates from them and moves to Republic City for unknown reasons. Zaheer then reveals the reason she left, and why she despises Suyin Beifong.

It's because Suyin hid from Kuvira the fact that her parents didn't abandon her; they committed suicide due to what they percieved as a failure child. When Kuvira found out the truth, and that Suyin had purposefully kept that secret from her for over a decade, she left.

Kuvira's wounds from her separation never truly healed. They were only hidden behind a metal wall, and Zaheer had broken right through it. Hearing her own past, Kuvira simply shuts down, becoming unresponsive to any questions or concerns by friend and foe alike.

The three are presented to the Earth Queen as in the show, and Zaheer kills the Earth Queen as in the show too. Mako, Bolin, and Kuvira free themselves, reasoning that Zaheer would go to where he could gain an advantage; the Northern Air Temple with barely-trained airbenders waiting to be hostages.

Mako and Bolin try and find an airship that they can use to cross the gap, but Kuvira doesn't wait. She races there on an earthen slide (like what Toph did in ATLA season 2 finale), and catches up with the Red Lotus, ready to kick them into next Sunday for bringing up those painful memories.

She arrives just in time, and engages all of the Red Lotus. In her Zone, she actually contends with them, and even, at certain points, seems to have an edge, but ultimately she's overpowered, as one might expect. Now, here's an interesting thing.

In arc 1, Kuvira pretty much dominates Amon in her Zone, save for when he bloodbends her. In arc 2, she similarly dominates Unalaq and his son, but is distracted out of the state of mind too many times to capitalize on it. In arc 3, the Red Lotus just straight-up kicks her ass. That's what I call self-jobbing. She's proven to be a badass on multiple occasions, and now, she's reduced to a punching bag.

Kuvira is absolutely destroyed; bruised, cut up, even having her side impaled, albeit by something small. She beaten back to where the airbenders are located, and she knows that, if she doesn't do something, that these people, people with whole futures ahead of them, will perish in an instant.

Thus, she erects a wall, more of a dome really, to protect them. With all of her might, she keeps it up, even when the Red Lotus bash on it and break through at points, she simply repairs it and keeps it going. Remember, she's still bleeding and injured through this. Yeah, Kuvira's a badass, and I have to make her one for her eventual takeover in arc 5 to be believable. And yes, I said arc _5_.

Anyway, the rest of the arc plays out pretty much the same as the show; Team Avatar and company make a deal to hand over Korra in exchange for the airbender prisoners (remember, they can't move from the dome if they don't want to risk the Red Lotus still being there, ready to kill them, and they aren't in on the plan, so they don't know that they all left, and they _definitely_ aren't taking the chance), and it goes about like it did in the show, only with Yuuto there to battle the exploding eye lady instead of Suyin and Lin. He defeats her by shooting a blast right as she fires it, making it explode in her face. She survives.

Before she's taken out, knowing that, once the Zaofu guards make it back up the cliff, that she's finished, she purposefully fires on Zaheer and renounces her allegiance to him and the Red Lotus, before finishing the fight with Yuuto. Zaheer, with his love gone and out of his life, achieves flight...leave me alone I haven't thought this far ahead that much. I would've worked it out later.

Anyway, Mako and Bolin go and retrieve Kuvira and the airbenders, Bolin learns to lavabend, and then both parties converge at the Red Lotus' hideout, where they prepare to execute Korra.

Team Avatar confronts the remaining members of the Red Lotus. Yuuto and Bolin battle Ghazan or whatever the lavabender's name was, as Bolin is much less experienced of a lavabender, while Mako engages the water tentacle lady. Ghazan is ultimately defeated, but not killed. Ming Hua, throughout the arc, was going to be portrayed as kind of childish, in that she lacks any kind of agency, and just does what the 'adults' tell her to. Recognizing this, and relating the look of terror on her face as Mako is about to execute the to both the one he saw on Asami right before their heart-to-heart (he'd walked into her interrogation room with a flame lit, PTSD of her mother dying), and on Bolin after their parents were murdered. Mako manages to calm down and reason with Ming Hua, convincing her to surrender.

Trust me, it's important for later.

Kuvira, still heavily injured and her wounds still fresh, engages in a losing battle with Zaheer while Korra fights off the poison. Kuvira is about to be killed, when Korra finally enters the Avatar State and fights Zaheer alone. The rest of the fight plays out as in the show.

Jinora, now with a newfound confidence, grants herself the title of master and resolves to lead the new airbenders properly.

In the aftermath, Kuvira is relegated to a bed on Air Temple Island to recover, while Korra is in a wheelchair. Korra is completely unresponsive, and Kuvira is newly sensitive to such things as feelings of abandonment. Thus, she takes it particularly hard when Korra states that she's going to leave and stay with her parents alone, believing that she needed to get over this hurdle without help. Kuvira completely breaks down as Korra leaves, demanding that she come back and acting extremely possessive of the Avatar, only to break down into tears when she's out of sight.

End of arc 3

Arc 4, as of right now, it more of a compilation of rough ideas rather than a well-thought out string of events, so bear that in mind as I might be vague and blow through this one quickly.

Kuvira's abilities have been damaged by the injuries and mental strain she took from Zaheer. She tries to recover and get back into fighting shape on Air Temple Island, with Mako, Bolin, Asami, and Yuuto around her and supporting her, but she makes very little progress, and becomes increasingly irritable and less-talkative. Eventually, the decision is made for her to leave; she is given little choice if she wants to regain her previous fighting capabilities.

Against her will, she's moved to Zaofu, so that Suyin can train her again.

Progress is slow, not least because Kuvira is extremely critical of all of the Beifong's there, is quick to make enemies of all of them, and generally secludes herself in her old room, not talking to anybody and not being productive. Eventually, the wounds start to mend, as Suyin tells Kuvira that she knows that what she did wasn't right, but that she was just trying to protect Kuvira from having to face death when she was so young.

Kuvira says that she understands why Suyin did what she did, but follows up by saying that even understanding why didn't make any of the anger go away. Still, the two come to something of an understanding, even if there is still a _lot_ of healing that needed to be done.

And all of it is seemingly undone, when Raiko and several other world leaders come to Suyin with the request that she gather a force and retake Ba Sing Se and the rest of the Earth Kingdom, as it has fallen to ruin without a monarch. Suyin refuses outright, angering Kuvira, who calls her a coward.

Against Suyin's wishes and now making the grudge mutual, Kuvira volunteers to reunite the Earth Kingdom herself. Reluctantly, the world leaders agree to this, despite several people in her life trying to stop her.

She recruits both Yuuto and Bolin, as well as Bataar Jr of the Beifongs, and together they scrounge up a small force for which to start in Ba Sing Se, believing that, if they take the city, then the rest of the country will follow suit.

Once there, they find that much of the violence and destruction is being caused by a rogue fire and lightning bending woman who is blood-crazy and manic. I don't have an identity for her yet, but I imagined her as a descendant of Azula, personally. I'm not sure if I would go so far as to make an explicit connection between the two, or if I would just have her act similarly.

The battle is long, and they often have to employ underhanded tactics to get around the iron wall of fear-based loyalty that the city has for this woman. Bolin and Yuuto work to dismantle her forces, while Kuvira directly engages against the woman, wherein Kuvira, through the desperate fight for her life, gains back all of her old power, and ultimately defeats the rogue.

The city is cleaned up quickly after, with other bandits fleeing to the countryside and many good people coming out of the woodwork to help in the restoration effort. Through those good people, Kuvira gains a sizeable fighting force, and consummates an official military by which they would reunite all of the Earth Kingdom's various colonies under one banner again.

One night, as the city is being restored, Bolin and Yuuto go on a date ala Zuko and that one Ba Sing Se girl from season 2, and enter a relationship in earnest.

Meanwhile, Korra has run away, as in the show. There would be many more scenes of her trying to live life as an unknown, and her dealing with her inner demons. She would have dialogues with herself and would always lose no matter what was said. She would be sent into a deep, deep depression, wishing for some kind of companionship. She eventually finds herself in Ba Sing Se, right in the aftermath of the big battle, as Kuvira is giving a speech to the citizens.

For a brief second, they lock eyes, though Kuvira only recognizes that the girl she sees looks _like_ Korra, as she'd changed her appearance and was damaged. Korra glares at Kuvira with a mixture of disappointment and envy, believing that Kuvira had fully recovered and was finding a new purpose in life without her. Jealous, Korra walks away. Meanwhile, Kuvira sees that look sent her way, and takes it as just a mental image that she's conjured through stress and fatigue, of a Korra-like-person giving her the same apathetic, broken, spiteful look (at least that's how her twisted mind interpreted it) that Korra gave her before she abandoned her and left to the Southern Water Tribe. That night, she cries herself to sleep.

End of arc 4

Arc 5 plays out much the same way as in the show, only with Bataar acting as the tech genius instead of Varrick, him and Kuvira not being in a relationship, and Yuuto being there to provide counsel to the increasingly power-hungry Kuvira.

I imagine Yuuto having a Captain America moment. You know, where he says something like "I thought I could throw my self back in and serve, but it's just not the same." but while Cap was unable to find a tangible reason for why it wasn't the same, or perhaps there wasn't one, Yuuto is quickly able to identify a cause: Kuvira, as she drifts from her stated goal of reuniting the Earth Kingdom and drifts closer to becoming an out-and-out dictator, which would eventually lead to him deserting her army, despite being her right hand.

Kuvira's mental state has slowly been deteriorating throughout the three year gap, to where she gets like she is in the show. She's hiding her mental and emotional insecurities with a facade of confidence, and surrounds herself with power and might in a vain attempt to scrub away all of the weakness she has felt and is feeling every day. Because it's never enough, so she believes that she simply needs more power.

The arc plays out the same for a while, with Kuvira refusing to hand power over to a new monarch, though I might replace Wu with a block of wood, because a block of wood would be better than him. Mako tries to talk sense into her while she's in Republic City, but she writes him off. He then informs her that Korra is missing, but Kuvira, again, writes it off as unimportant, projecting what she believed to be the apathy that Korra had had for her.

Hearing that, Mako knows that something is wrong, but isn't in a position to force the issue.

The arc goes on for a while, with Korra meeting Toph, getting life lessons, and then going to Zaofu, only to see that Kuvira is ready to storm it and take it over by force, as Suyin refuses to hand it over to her. Unlike the show, Suyin refuses as well to take action against Kuvira, choosing to believe in the good in the woman. Korra intervenes, and the two get into a fight, where Kuvira lashes out violently against the still-battered woman, claiming that Korra never cared for her, that it was all a lie, and that Kuvira has learned to abandon any feelings she'd had before.

Korra is in no position to argue, simply trying to stay in the fight. She doesn't enter the Avatar State, and in fact doesn't do it again until the finale, and thus loses the fight, only to be rescued by Opal and Jinora and taken back to Republic City.

Yuuto accuses Kuvira of becoming a dictator, and deserts, along with Bolin. She orders her men to capture them and bring them back for punishment, but they get away safely. Before he leaves, Bolin claims that she started changing from when Zaheer came, and this sparks something in Kuvira.

Things play out similarly, with Wing and Wei Beifong attempting to assassinate Kuvira unsuccessfully, though Suyin refuses and simply flees Zaofu along with her husband and remaining son. She places them in that camp where she's testing her super weapon.

Suyin retreats to Republic City and implores Raiko and Korra to help, but the former refuses and Korra says that she's already tried and failed. Lin hears what happened to her nephews and implores for Suyin to rescue them herself, but Suyin says that she can't fight against Kuvira, as she raised the woman like a daughter and couldn't bear to fight her. This is meant to show that even Suyin is a fundamentally broken woman, denying the opportunity to rescue her children for the sake of breaking ties with another, stemming from her own abandonment issues and personal hangups on violence.

Lin makes the decision of having Korra restore her bending so that she can help, but Korra is unable to until she fully heals, thus why she goes to Zaheer and has the "To Heal" moment (which is an awesome OST track btw). She restores Lin's bending, and she, Bolin, and Yuuto go and rescue Wing and Wei, with help from Toph.

While there, they try and disable the super weapon, but when they engage Kuvira, they are all completely outclassed.

One thing I forgot to mention is that Kuvira is fucking jacked in this arc. After arc 4, she's essentially dedicated all of her spare time to improving and training and disciplining herself, all for a purpose that you'll see momentarily. The result? Well, she has the Zone, a state of mind where she is solely focused on her opponent, with no wasted movement and heightened reflexes, right? Now, she has it all of the time.

She kicks their asses, but they all escape to Republic City to relay the bad news of the super weapon, and that Kuvira was likely on her way there.

The city is evacuated, and Kuvira arrives with her super robot. But rather than demanding that Republic City be annexed into the Earth Empire, she instead demands to have custody of Zaheer and the other members of the Red Lotus.

After some consideration, the good guys agree to her demands, but it's a trap. They've gather the Red Lotus members around Zaheer and freed all of them, knowing that they'd want to take down the biggest threat to their mission; Kuvira. Kuvira goes alone with the intention of killing Zaheer, and proceeds to fight them. Unlike the last time, she destroys them.

Ghazan, exploding lady, and water tentacle lady are all downed, and Zaheer mocks Kuvira for being weak. In a flash of rage,Kuvira kills Zaheer; like foster-mother-like-foster-daughter. Hearing this and realizing that, truly, there is nothing left of the girl she raised (apparently), Suyin resolves to fight.

Kuvira attempts to return to her super weapon, but is blocked by Team Avatar, and she gets into a prolonged chase as they try and capture her, only for her to continually give them the slip, trip them up, or outright beat them. Eventually, she gets back into her mech, and faces down Korra and the rest of Team Avatar. Things play out similarly, with Asami developing the dragonfly mechs and cutting a hole in the mech. Recognizing that the machine is compromised, Kuvira orders her soldiers to abandon ship, so to speak. Korra confronts her in the cockpit. Korra berates Kuvira, and implores her to look at the horrible person she's allowed herself to become, while Kuvira accuses Korra of abandoning her, being selfish and wanting to be away from her when they could've healed together. Korra acknowledges that leaving was a mistake and that she regrets it, and she apologizes. Kuvira, at first, seems to be moved by her words, but then spits that apologies aren't good enough (harkening back to like chapter 2 or 3), and the two fight.

Kuvira is not in top form. She believed that killing Zaheer would free her from her burdens, but the guilt of the act of killing was weighing too heavily on her mind. Korra, meanwhile, is finally back at the top of her game. The two fight fairly evenly, with Korra slightly edging out, blasting Kuvira out of the cockpit right at the mech explodes form Mako's lightning, as in the show.

Also as in the show, Kuvira tries to use the spirit cannon on Korra, only for it to backfire and Korra assuming the Avatar State to energy bend the beam away, resulting in them being shot through a newly created spirit portal.

Once they both come to, Korra pleads for Kuvira to come back to them, and that she was sorry and wanted to make it up to her. Kuvira accuses Korra of lying again, that she was only trying to make Kuvira surrender, and that Korra didn't know any of the pain that she's felt all throughout her life.

Korra disproves this, saying that she finally knew what it was like to feel alone and helpless, saying that it was the most awful feeling in the world, and that she wouldn't wish it on anybody, no matter how vile they were. Korra reaffirms her intentions, to care for Kuvira and bring her back from this dark rut that she's dug herself into, no matter how long it takes for that to happen, saying, with a smile, that she'll wait for her, implying that, even after all of this, she still wants to pursue something with the woman.

Kuvira considers, and finally accepts, being led out of the spirit portal to her friends. Kuvira looks around, seeing the defeated army around her, the looks of utter defeat and despair on their faces, and realizes that it was all her fault; that it was her mad rush for power and security that led to so many people being hurt, displaced, tortured mentally, etc. Realizing this, despair overcomes her once again, and she attempts to take her own life, only for Korra to stop her, pinning her arms to her side in a big hug. Bolin, Mako, Yuuto, Jinora, and several others join in, and Kuvira is brought to tears in realizing that, even after all of the suffering she's caused, that these people still cared for her, and that it was never fake.

Finally, Suyin approaches Kuvira at her most vulnerable. She smiles at the younger woman, wipes away her tears, and calls her her 'baby girl'. Kuvira completely breaks down, finally calling Suyin 'mother' and throwing herself into the older woman's arms, finally admitting something she's known all along: Suyin, for all of her flaws and arguably bad decisions, always viewed her as a real daughter and loved her just as much as one.

Kuvira is sent to prison for her crimes, and receives rehabilitation and frequent visits from all of her friends and family. Some hold grudges, but most are nothing but supportive, and she's eventually released for good behavior and under watch for the rest of her life, to the waiting arms of Korra.

End of arc 5, and end of the story as a whole.

So yeah, if I had decided to finish this, I think it would've been good, possibly surpassing United We Stand (a PJO fic I wrote), but that might have been difficult with how much build-up Percy's character arc had.

I do hope to finish this fic one day, but now isn't the time. Ironically, writing this summary has kind of inspired me to pick it back up, but I know my own idiosyncrasies enough to know that the feeling will fade within a few days and I'll become unmotivated once again. Or maybe it won't. We'll see, but don't hold your breath.

EDIT: that's exactly what happened, hence chapters 14-16 actually being written.

Truthfully, this fic was a kind of foreshadowing to a bad habit I've gotten myself into, where I get into a project, get about ten to twelve chapters in, and then lose motivation.

For example, I had a story about the character Spider-Gwen. I read up on her history in the comics and got really hooked, and drafted an outline that night over the course of a few hours. I started it (against my writing buddy's advice, as he (correctly) guessed that I came up with it based on the high of seeing Far From Home for the first time), got, hey, twelve chapters in, and I haven't worked on it since.

Same deal, I am working on a Fire Emblem: Three Houses fic (which I'm going to try my damnedest to finish because I genuinely love it and the game), and got twelve chapters in, and haven't worked on it since.

It all just seems so...superfluous. I should be working on my novel, not riding on the coattails of other creators, at least that's what the cynic in me is thinking.

Again, I'm sorry for those that became invested in this story. I got invested too, and this is the first time I've really abandoned a project on this site now that I've really started taking writing seriously, and that just feels awful. I can't express properly in words how shitty that makes me feel, and not even for you guys (though I still feel bad about it), but for my pride as a writer.

As a quick update for those who care, my plan was to take a hiatus from this fic to work on my novel, which I had recently started a second draft on. Well, I'm done writing it and am editing and revising it currently and...I just kind of moved onto book 2. I'm sorry, but I like that story better than this one at the moment. With any luck, my novel should be out within...a month, maybe. Kind of nervous about it though...

But anyway, thank you guys for your continued support, and I'll see you when I see you.

Until the end -A


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